Masques
by robinhood92
Summary: It is said that in the harsh light of day a man will show what is deemed acceptable but when given a mask, he will show his true face. Rated M for Violence and Swearing
1. Monsters and Masques

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire.

"_Man is least himself when he talks in his own person._ _Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."_

_Oscar Wilde_

Monsters and Masques

The sounds of waves could be heard all around him and darkness was all he could see. There were only two sensations that he could feel; the spray of water coming from the ocean clinging to his clothes, soaking him to the core and the other was pain radiating from every point on his body. He could not move, no matter what he tried, he could not move. From what he could tell both of his legs were broken and maybe his arm too. He could feel his life leaving him from his broken body as he lay on the rocky floor of the cave. He knew right there, he was going to die.

'_Why is this happening?...Why?'_

* * *

(4 hours earlier)

As the bus came to a full stop, the doors opened to allow its single passenger off. A single boy stepped down from the bus. The boy was neither; tall nor short, he wasn't muscular or scrawny, handsome nor ugly, smart...no, stupid, not so much. If we were to describe this young man it would be AVERAGE! This child would be the epitome of averageness both physically and mentally, but little did he know that his life from this point on would be anything but average.

"**I do hope you enjoy your stay at Youkai Academy...It can be quite dangerous at times."**

The boy turned his head to the speaker. The man was dressed in a bus driver uniform and the only things that could be seen on his face were a pencil thin mustache, a big Cuban cigar and finally two glowing orbs for eyes. This was obviously the bus driver. The doors closed shut; the bus's engine roared with horsepower and disappeared into the tunnel it had come out of just moments before. The boy simply watched the bus disappear into the tunnel watching the lights dim out. There he stood for several minutes studying his surroundings. Everything to him looked like it came out of a horror novel. He was standing on a cliff overlooking a red sea. All the trees were dead and tombstones were strewn about the place. The only landmark around was a scarecrow pointing towards a beaten path into a looming forest. Without a word, the young man began to travel down the path towards the Academy or at least said the sign attached to the scarecrow. Traveling down the path he couldn't help but wonder how he got into this situation. He could not help but think about a conversation he and his parents had just a few days ago.

"_I can't believe my only son who just graduated from Jr. High school with a C average! How will you get into a decent high school or any high school with grades like that? Do you want to grow up to be a bum Tsukune?"_

_As the woman was berating her son, she didn't even notice that the front door had opened to reveal a man coming into the house. Tsukune was currently wearing a purple sweatshirt and matching sweatpants that helped because he was sweating profusely. His mother was right and she was always right._

"_It's not like I can't get a job, Okaa-san."_

_Her mouth widened like a goldfish and continued her ranting with much more energy and rage._

"_A JOB! Tsukune I want you to have a career not just a job! You need to get into high school and then college. Now it's gone completely down the cra-"_

_Suddenly his father jumped in between them with a pirouette and a piece of paper clutched in his hand. Both Tsukune and his mother watched him with bewildered looks especially when he grabbed her and gave her a dip. His mother was clearly unhappy that he had performed something so intimate in front of their son and during such an important discussion. Holding back her yell she growled out a question._

"_Sweetie what are you doing?"_

_Still in his tizzy euphoria, Tsukune's father spun her lightly and continued talking to her in that same wistful voice._

"_Why I'm celebrating of course my love. Do you want to know why?"_

"_NO! WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR HAND?"_

_His father let go of his mother and began to dance like a maniac._

"_It's a letter my sweet lamb and I bet you can't guess what it is."_

"_UNLESS IT'S A HIGH SCHOOL ACCEPTANCE LETTER I DON'T CARE!"_

"_THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS!"_

_She was completely quite at first and then suddenly jumped into the dancing fray. This continued for about three minutes when she stopped and asked why he did not tell her about this earlier._

"_Well I wasn't sure if Tsukune would be accepted because of his abysmal grades-"_

_Tsukune had the decency to feel ashamed._

"_-But now we have nothing to worry about! Our son will not become a vagrant!_

_At this point, both of his parents began to twirl together and singing at the top of their lungs. Tsukune picked up the acceptance letter that his father had dropped and began to read it to himself. Meanwhile his parents began talking to each other about their son's suddenly brighter future._

"_Now our son finally has a chance in this bleak, cold world!"_

"_I know my darling, now how about we go upstairs and start cele-"_

BAM!

Suddenly he was knocked out of his flashback by a harsh whack to the back of the head with something heavy and hard. All he could see was darkness around him, he could not tell what was up or down but he could feel something soft on top of him. Seeing how this soft object was the only sense of direction in this dark place he reached for it.

"Eek!"

Hearing this tiny squeak, Tsukune's eye flipped open to see a matching set of beautiful jade eyes staring back at him. His eyes were only torn away to see his hand on the owner's inner thigh. He quickly pulled his hand away and began to apologize profusely. He could not help to look at the beauty who accidentally assaulted him with what he could now see was a bicycle. She had bubblegum pink hair, smooth-looking porcelain skin, a light green school blazer and a brown plaid short skirt. Tsukune began rambling on an apology for not looking, even though it really was not his fault, so much so that he didn't even notice the blood seeping from the cut on his head. He continued on talking as she pulled out a handkerchief.

"You're bleeding."

Tsukune's lips finally stop flapping after hearing this angel's melodic voice. It was soft like a wisp of cloud but pierced him like an arrow. He watched her reach up to wipe away the blood from his forehead. He felt not only the silk handkerchief but her fingers brushing against his forehead and was amazed to discover that the only difference between the two was the warmth coming from her fingers. He was so enthralled by this heavenly creature that he failed to notice one simple thing. As she brought the handkerchief back, she began sniffing it.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see you! It was my anemia you see, I got a little woozy and..."

Suddenly she began to lean towards him and everything went slow as if time itself began to stop. Tsukune's breath was hitched in his throat; his mind went blank except with one constant thought running through it.

_'Is she going to kiss me?'_

As she came in closer, he began to lean forward too. He was so close to her that he began to feel enveloped in what he could only guess was to be her natural scent. When she was about an inch away from his lips he puckered them slightly. Just when their lips were about to touch his eyes flew wide open as he witnessed her mouth open ever so slightly.

_'Oh My God! Is she going to French kiss m-OWWW!'_

She had gone completely pass his lips, bitten down on the crook of his neck, and felt her beginning to suck down hard. He felt the warmth from his face disappearing and his vision blurring as he fell to the ground. He was lifted to his feet by this strange girl and stood up, momentarily dazed.

"Mm-mm... That was exquisite! The density and sweetness complemented each other perfectly."

She was simply aglow with delight when she came out of her trance.

"Oh my goodness I nearly forgot! Are you OK?"

Tsukune was pale and was swaying slightly but gave a thumbs up.

"I'm OK... it's just a flesh wound."

"Oh I'm sorry I just couldn't stop myself!"

Tsukune shook his head as if to say 'no problem, it could happen to anyone' and rubbed his neck. He turned back to face this unknown beauty to see that she was looking rather concerned. He felt bad seeing her like that, so he extended his hand out.

"Hi my name is Aono Tsukune."

The girl looked at him and began to blush a deep crimson color. She then extended her own hand and gingerly grasped his.

"Hello Aono Tsukune I'm Akashiya Moka, a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine."

She giggled and he chuckled lightly. They held a silent moment together, simply enjoying each other's company. Tsukune decided to break the ice once more.

"So are you here for school?"

She began nodding her head vigorously and at this point, they both began down the path once more.

"Oh yes, in fact it's my first year. I'm quite excited because..."

Tsukune could not help but stare at this beautiful creature. He admired her flawless pale skin, her mother of pearl colored lips and those jade green eyes. Still with all this, he could not stop thinking about what had happened only a few moments ago. She had sucked out his blood by biting his neck like some sort of

"Vampire."

He could not help but to be pulled out of his thoughts after hearing this.

"Um...I'm sorry could you repeat that?"

She had skipped ahead of him, prancing slightly. She quickly turned around to face him with a cute little smile.

"I said that I'm so excited to be here! I always have had trouble making friends in the past because I'm a vampire."

She emphasized her point by smiling a little wider to reveal a small set of fangs. Even though he was a little worried, he could not help to think that they made her look even cuter. He was not sure what she meant by this proclamation but he wrote it off as some kind of fad that she was probably into. Who was he to judge?

"However when I received my acceptance letter I couldn't help but to feel like this year would finally be it and now look. The school year hasn't even started and I've already made my first friend!"

Tsukune stopped short in the middle of the road. Had he heard this beautiful girl right?

"Friends? We're friends?"

This time Moka stopped short. Her eyes wide and hand rose over her mouth.

"Oh I'm sorry! It's just that I got so excited and I just assumed that we were...I'm so sorry."

Tsukune quickly raised his hands to stop her.

"No, no that's OK! Of course I'd want to be your friend!"

The sight of her face was something to behold. Her face lit up like the sun itself. Before Tsukune knew what was happening, he was in a bone-crushing hug and lifted into the air.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU!"

She began to spin around in circles while still holding him in her arms. Despite being manhandled by this deceptively strong cutie, Tsukune could not help but to feel in heaven. Moka stopped her little dance with her new found friend when the sound of what Tsukune could tell was a funeral bell rung out across the school grounds.

"Oh no, it's the first bell! We're going to be late."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the academy. For the first time he saw the school that he would be attending for the next three years. It was the kind of building that Tsukune would never enter. It was a Gothic style mansion complete with the rattling windows, macabre statues of gargoyles hanging from various points of the roof, all along the roofs were lined with cast-iron railings, and all around the grounds were various out buildings with similar looks. To him this place seemed to scream death and pain. If he could have ran he'd be gone in a second. However due to tight grip Moka had on his arm, escape was impossible. He turned his head from the building which every instinct told him to get far away as possible to the ecstatic beauty pulling him towards this place.

_'I guess it won't be so bad here. I've already made a friend and what's the worst thing that could happen?'_

* * *

(3 hours earlier)

Here Tsukune was sitting in his homeroom on the first day of school. Not only had he made a friend with a beautiful, though be it eccentric, girl but it turns out that they were also in the same class. The moment Tsukune saw all the envious faces of his male classmates as they watched him come in with Moka made him feel great but also a little nervous. To him this was a completely new experience, he was always in the background and now he's been thrust into the spotlight. As he sat at his desk, counting his blessings, he began to relax a little. So now, he knew that this was going to be the greatest experience of his life. The teacher began tapping on the chalkboard with a pointing stick, grabbing the class's attention.

"Welcome all you new students to your first year of Youkai academy! I will be your homeroom teacher, Shizuka Nekonome."

_'Wow! She seems really friendly. Beautiful girls, nice teachers. I must have died and gone too...'_

"As you all know Youkai Academy is a school for only us monsters to attend!"

'_A school for monsters...HUH?'_

Everything came crashing down around him. All the pieces came together and they did not make a pretty picture. The teacher continued on like she had gone through this a hundred times.

"Now, it's common knowledge that our planet is currently under the control of the human race. This school will help you all to learn how to co-exist with them!"

She pointed to the chalkboard showing the class a picture that she must have drawn before class began. It was simple, almost childlike drawing of the planet earth with several stick people holding hands. Tsukune however was neither charmed nor comforted by this.

_'Monsters? Coexisting with humans! This can't be real; this has to be some sort of sick joke.'_

"Because it is so important for our survival, we ask that everybody stays in their human form. Also do not to reveal your true form to anybody. "

Tsukune had almost convinced himself that this was just a strange and unusual joke until he saw something that completely shattered that dream.

_'She has a tail! A TAIL! It's moving!' _

The sound of chuckling was heard coming from the desk next to Tsukune. He turned his head to see who it was and immediately wished that he had not. This person would have scared the crap out of him even if he were not a monster. He was big, at least twice Tsukune's size and from what he could tell was most likely ripped. His blonde hair was slicked back and spiked at the same time. Metal studs were present in his lips and ears along with a pair of wild looking eyes.

"I don't understand why we don't just eat those pathetic weaklings, and as for those pretty girls..."

He left this sentence hanging in the air only to emphasize by sticking out his freakishly long snake -like tongue. Tsukune could not help but shiver at the implications that this psycho proposed. As for the teacher, she was a little worried as well.

"Ahh...well that wouldn't be a very good idea. The human population on earth was well over seven billion the last time I heard and with all their advancements in weaponry and medical sciences...well lets just say it wouldn't be a long fight."

The boy simply scoffed at this remark.

"Besides we don't have to worry about humans here. This school is protected by a special barrier which prevents humans from entering."

Tsukune perked up a little after hearing that. If he was in a barrier, which prevents humans from entering, then how did he get in? He figured there must be a hole in it and if he told them where, maybe they let him go home!

"And if a human were to somehow get in they would be killed on sight or something like that."

_'Killed...on sight?'_

Again, the student next to Tsukune chuckled once more.

"Are you sure that there are no real humans in this school? 'Cause I could've sworn that I smelt the putrid stink of one earlier."

The psycho turned to Tsukune who decided that the window was a much better place to look out of. He could swear that he could feel that psycho's gaze on him still.

_'What am I doing here? I can't stay here I'll be killed if I don't get outta here! Alright Tsukune the first moment you get run for the hills.'_

At that moment, somebody poked him in the back with their finger, which nearly caused him to jump right out of his seat.

"Hey Tsukune."

He heard the barest whisper of his name being called from behind him. As he turned to face this person, he was met with those same pair of beautiful green eyes that he saw for the first time only just an hour ago.

"This sounds like it's going to be a fun year doesn't it?"

He could only nod dumbfounded, mind a complete blank. Moka held a slight blush on her face as she turned away shyly.

"I was wondering...after class, if you would want to maybe...get something to drink with me?"

Still completely dumbfounded he nodded once more except with a bit more enthusiasm. He watched her face light up once more as she told him that she could not wait. As Tsukune turned back to face the front of the class, he could not help but to think.

_'Well I guess I could give this place a shot.'_

* * *

(1 hour earlier)

Here he was, sitting on a stone bench outside with this beautiful girl, sipping on a can of lemonade. Somehow being with Moka seemed to dull the realization that everybody around were monsters.

_'How did this happen? Stupid Otou-san and that stupid flier.'_

He could not help but watch as the people walk by, thinking that it could not be possible that they were monsters. Not only had they looked like humans but also acted like them too. The girls congregated into groups gossiping and talking about the cute boys, and from what Tsukune could tell the guys were staring at the girls wondering what they were talking about.

"Tsukune? What are you thinking about?"

He turned towards Moka. She was staring at him with interest in her eyes. He remembered what she had told him earlier when the first met.

_'She's a vampire.'_

"Nothing."

"Something tells me that ain't nothing new."

They both turned to see who had said that. Tsukune freaked after he saw who it was.

_'Holy crap it's that guy!'_

It was the same boy in their class who had suggested eating people. Quick as lightning, his hand flew out grabbing Tsukune by the collar of his shirt. He was pinned up against one of the many stone pillars that lined the walkway, scared out of his mind. Moka jumped off the bench standing in front of this sociopath.

"Stop it! Please put Tsukune down!"

He acted as if he did not hear her plea, but instead extended his free hand as cool and collected as if this were any kind of situation.

"Hi, I'm Komiya Saizou. You're Akashiya Moka, right?"

His grip began to tighten around Tsukune. He began to have trouble breathing and his legs flailed slightly. Moka looked at him with fright and concern for his well-being.

"Please Saizou-san put him down!"

He had a look of cold delight on his face. He was enjoying this.

"Why?"

She was taken back slightly by this question.

"Why are you hanging around with this loser? Wouldn't you rather be hanging around with someone better, like me for instance?"

Tsukune stopped struggling after hearing him say that. To be honest he had been wondering that himself for a while. Moka, however, seemed angry at that accusation.

"Tsukune is not a loser. Please put him down!"

Saizou did not like that answer at all. He took him off the pillar only to slam him back into it once more. After that, he threw him nearly ten feet from where he was standing. Moka ran towards Tsukune and lifted him to his feet. Saizou however walked up to them nonchalantly as if nothing had happened and grabbed Moka's arm.

"There I let him go, so how about you and I go somewhere a little more...private?"

She tore her arm away from his grip and grabbed Tsukune's arm. They both ran towards the school leaving Saizou standing alone.

"Sorry but I'm already having fun with Tsukune!"

As they both disappeared from sight Saizou was left by himself, seething.

_'Don't think that this over for a second Akashiya Moka!'_

* * *

(56 minutes)

Both Tsukune and Moka had ran to the roof of the school breathing deeply. Tsukune turned to Moka and watched her trying to regain her breath. Saizou's words echoed through his skull, trapped inside like a moth in a glass jar. Here she was; beautiful, kind, already the most popular girl in school and here he was just some average guy. He had to ask.

"Hey Moka-san."

She turned to Tsukune with a small smile.

"Yes Tsukune."

"Why are you so friendly to me? I mean you could hang-out with anybody, why me?"

She stared at him with curiosity in her eyes. The way she looked at him was as if she had just realized an obvious fact that was apparent to everybody else but her. He felt as though he had just made a giant mistake. Perhaps he should have just let this one lie. However, she just smiled at him and said.

"Because you're the first person who accepted me for who I am that's why."

He could not help but feel happy, truly happy at this point. Nothing could ruin this for him. However, Moka had her own question for him.

"That reminds me, what kind of monster are you Tsukune?"

To say that he had not expected this question would be an understatement. He went from feeling like the luckiest man that ever lived to feeling like he was in front of a firing squad. Thankfully, Moka noticed how uncomfortable he looked after being asked that question.

"Oh! It's against school rules to ask isn't it? Sorry I asked, it's just that I told you that I was a vampire so I got curious."

She stuck out her tongue and bopped herself on the head. Tsukune could not help himself; she was just too damn cute. He still could not truly believe that she was a vampire.

"Moka-san I have to say that you don't look like a vampire to me in fact you look like a human."

She just smiled.

"Well I may look like a human now but..."

At this point she slightly spread her shirt at the top, exposing some slight cleavage. Tsukune was not sure what it was he was supposed to be looking at but at this moment, he was not complaining.

"When the rosary around my chest is removed I become a real scary vampire."

It was then he noticed that she was wearing a leather choker around her neck and attached was a silver cross with a single red gem in the middle. It was beautiful just like her.

_'This school will help you all to learn how to co-exist with humans.'_

Their teacher's voice echoed through his head as he gazed at Moka. She was a vampire, a creature feared in his world as a demon that everybody knew about; saw in their nightmares and yet here she was at this school. He was wondering whether he should tell her.

_'I don't understand why we just don't eat those pathetic weaklings, and as for those pretty girls...'_

Saizou's voice also rang in there as well and it did not sound friendly. He walked towards the guard railing surrounding the roof looking over. He did not notice this, but Moka followed him to look over at the scenery. He stared off into the distance thinking about what he had said a few hours ago. Saizou was also a monster and did not seem too keen about co-existing with humans and as his father had once told him 'If there is one in the open, there's a dozen in the walls.' He had to test the waters first.

"Hey Moka-san can I ask you a question?"

She cocked her head with a curious smile.

"Remember what Nekonome-Sensei said before about us co-existing with humans?"

She remained silent and he took this as a sign to continue.

"Well I was wondering what you thought about humans?"

She remained silent as if she did not hear him. He waited for her to answer, but she remained absolutely quiet. He was just about to ask again, when she turned to him with anger in her eyes.

"I hate humans."

That simple statement, those three words had crushed all hope he had. He felt as though hot lead was poured into his chest, he could not breathe. It looked like Moka was trying to talk to him but all he could hear was his own heart beating faster than he thought possible.

_'I...'_

He ran. He had to get out of this place he could not stay. Tsukune had bolted out of the door and practically flew down the stairs as fast as his feet would take him. Her words echoed through his head ringing like a hive of angry bees. The hate in her voice, the anger in her eye's and the way each word was filled with disgust. For some reason he felt as though he could have stayed here as long as Moka would be there with him, but now he felt surrounded. Everywhere they were creatures that wanted him dead, no one wanted him not even Moka, the only person that he considered to be his friend in this god forsaken place also wanted him dead.

* * *

(35 minutes earlier)

Tsukune had managed to pack up all of his belongings and was now in front of the school building. He stared at the school and for a moment wondered what it would be like if, he stayed. It was not pleasant. Without at least one person he believed that not only wouldn't he survive the physical toll, but psychologically he would be destroyed.

"TSUKUNE!"

He saw that Moka came running at him, waving her arm trying to get his attention. Words still echoing in his head, he began to panic. Turning around he was about to start running when he felt her gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Tsukune there you are! I was wondering where you went off to..."

She tilted her head slightly when she noticed he was holding his backpack by his side.

"Tsukune...what are you doing with that backpack?"

He could not look her in the eyes. His hand traveled to the back of his neck, rubbing anxiously. He did not want to tell her, did not want to explain.

"Well I was thinking about...y'know I don't think this schools for me."

"Tsukune I...I don't understand."

He was regretting this more and more. Why did she have to catch up to him, why did she even have to find him but most of all why did she care? It was the caring that was making this so difficult.

"Well after seeing this school and everybody in it...I think I'm gonna go to a human high school."

Terror swelled in her eyes and as he started to walk away, Moka clawed at his backpack.

"NO! You can't go to a human school! Humans are horrible creatures that-"

"I'm a human."

"-care for nothing but themselves. They are vile and cruel and-"

"I'm a human."

"-evil beings that would kill you so much as look at you. You can't go to their school's you'll be so al-"

"MOKA-SAN!"

She had finally stopped her frantic ramblings after Tsukune had yelled out her name. Her body trembled as she stared at the ground unable to make eye contact with him. He would have tried to comfort her, but after hearing how she thought of him he did not even want to touch her.

"I'm a human. I'm not a monster and don't belong here."

However, as Tsukune spoke Moka slowly reached out to grab his book bag trying to pull him back to her, shaking her head profusely not wanting to believe a word he was saying. He kept pulling back his bag away from her as she kept pulling him back to her. Finally, after a few seconds of this pointless tug of war Tsukune violently ripped his book bag out of her hands, glaring at her.

"Stop it Moka-san! I'm leaving here and there is nothing you can do or say that would change my mind."

He turned his back and began going down the path that he took this morning to this school he heard Moka's voice in a small hushed tone almost as if she was choking back a sob.

"Please Tsukune...don't leave...your my...friend."

Tsukune stopped in his tracks, whole body shaking. Moka could have sworn that he was crying. He twisted himself to face her once more, rage in his eyes.

"Really? Well I'm sorry, but I can't be friends with someone who can't accept me for who I am!"

His words pierced her like a thousand arrows, stunned she watched him disappear down the road until she could not see him anymore. Echoing through her skull were not the words that Tsukune had just told her but the answer she had given him on the roof of the school.

"_Why are you so friendly to me Moka-san? I mean you could hang-out with anybody in this school, why me?"_

"_Because you're the first person who had accepted me for whom I am."_

"_Please Tsukune...don't leave...your my...friend."_

"_Really? Well I'm sorry but I can't be friends with someone who can't accept me for who I am!"_

Tears welled up in her eyes nearly bursting forth. She would not let it end like this not now that she had finally made a friend. Moka sprung forth as fast as her legs would take her down the path to Tsukune. She had managed about halfway when she noticed somebody stepping onto the path. Her heart skipped several beats with anticipation.

"TSUK-"

She stopped midway in her tracks when the figure became clearer.

"Hehehe...Hello Akashiya Moka. I'm so glad that we get to meet again under more favorable circumstances."

It was Saizou standing in her way of reaching Tsukune. She tried to go around him, but he grabbed her by the arm and slammed her against a tree. She slumped down at the base of the tree with the wind knocked out of her. Saizou causally walked up to her unbuttoning his jacket with one hand. He tossed his jacket into the wind. She tried to scream but nothing came out, trying to move she watched as he also began to unbutton his shirt.

"I'm going to enjoy this Moka-chan and if you just relax I know you will too."

His body began to morph and grow out of proportions. Saizou had grown into a nearly eight foot muscle-bound hulk with gray, lumpy skin covering every inch of his body like some sort of armor. As he came closer, terror could be seen swelling up in Moka. Finally, the breaking point came crashing down on her when over-sized tongue flopped out of Saizou's head and touched her on the cheek.

"TSUKKKKUUUUNNNEEEEE!"

She had screamed the first word that came into her head. Just as the name had escaped her lips, the arm of Saizou smashed her into the tree. His harsh laugh boomed right in her face along with his unpleasantly hot, moist breath.

"Why are you calling out for scum like him? I saw him running like a little bitch not just five minutes ago. It's just you and me my dear Moka-chan."

His tongue continued to glide across her face with her eyes shut tight trying to pretend she was not there. All she wanted was for him to stop and she got her wish. With a sound that could only be described as stone on stone Saizou's tongue had left her cheek. Her eyes flew open to see Saizou with a bruised cheek and an enraged look on his face. From what she could gather, somebody had thrown a rock at him.

"Let her go Saizou."

Moka's heart skyrocketed.

"TSUKUNE!"

There he was as she had stated. Saizou at this point released his grip on her to face Tsukune who stared him down.

"So you think your some big man? Think you could take me on for some chick?"

"Moka-san isn't 'some chick'. She's my friend."

To say that Moka was taken away from seeing this act of bravery would be a gross understatement, she was enthralled by Tsukune. It was like one of the love stories that Moka saw some human women read. She watched in awe as he charged at Saizou with his fist cocked back, showing no fear. Her breath was taken away as he closed in on Saizou. Coming in closer Tsukune delivered a full-bodied right hook to Saizou's stomach, which was quickly followed by a nasty cracking sound and him standing still with his right arm shaking.

"Oh, Tsukune."

"Uuggg."

Tsukune stumbled back holding his hand, which seemed to be broken. Saizou loomed over him with a strange mixture of rage and amusement apparent in his expression. He quickly backhanded Tsukune who flew nearly fifty feet. Moka ran to him while Saizou was distracted with his own maniacal laughter. Tsukune managed to raise himself from the ground only to stumble back down a steep hill. She quickly chased after him. There he was on the ground next to the bus stop. He was crouched into a ball holding his gut in pain. She hoisted him onto her lap while holding his head against her chest, sobbing lightly. She began to rock slightly when something touched her back. Turning her head, she saw a book bag Tsukune's book bag.

_'He was here? He came back for me!'_

"Tsukune why?"

The ground shook as something big and hard came crashing down from the sky. Moka watched Saizou emerge from a small crater that he had created. Her rocking increased with every step he took towards them. A single tear fell from her eye, gripping Tsukune tighter she braced herself for what was about to happen. Something warm touched her face to wipe away the tear on her face.

"Moka-san."

She tore her eyes away from the approaching doom in front of her to the huddled mass cradled in her arms. She stared at him with both fear and anger in her eyes.

"Why did you come back? You were already here!"

Saizou's footsteps could be clearly heard, but she could still hear Tsukune chuckling at her question. His hand began to quiver.

"Because I didn't want those angry words to be the last ones I said to you. I wanted to say that I really like you and I'm really glad that we got to be friends."

At this point tears were falling from her eyes as Tsukune's eyes began to glaze over slightly with his consciousness beginning to flutter in and out. Saizou was almost upon them with malice in his eyes. As Tsukune's hand fell from Moka's face, it snagged on something for only a moment then fell on his chest. He heard Moka gasp only to say.

"It came off."

The whole area becomes dark as a supernatural light enveloped Moka's entire body. It was a sight to behold. Her hair turned from her normal bubble gum pink to radiant silver that reminded Tsukune of the moon on a clear night, her once small fangs jutted past her blood red lips that now matched her eyes. Tsukune, in a panic, scrambled off her lap to hide behind the scarecrow behind them. She turned her head slightly over her shoulder, looking at him under half-lidded eyes and held a small but dangerous smile. She slowly stood up and began to stretch with the eloquence and grace of a cat that awoke from a nap. After her stretching she began to jump up and down as if to get the blood flowing.

"It's not possible."

Saizou stared at this new Moka that seemed to radiate both grace and danger.

"The silver hair...the red eyes, you're a vampire."

A dark, throaty chuckle came from the new Moka after hearing him exclaim the obvious.

"**Very good, you're smarter than you look. Now run along before you get hurt**."

Tsukune could not help but feel a shiver run up his spine after hearing this new Moka speak. Her voice was as dark as the velvet night sky, as smooth as the finest silk and seems to promise to bring both the greatest pleasures that this world had to offer or pain that not even Hell's most powerful demons could deliver. However, this seemed to piss-off Saizou to no end.

"I don't care if you are a vampire! I'll still kill that scum and make you for mine!"

He charged at her with full force, but Moka stood her ground with nothing but absolute calm. Saizou raised his arm up high, ready to bring it down with all of his fury in one attack. Before anybody knew it Moka raised her leg, brought it back and side-kicked him straight in the stomach. Saizou crashed into the hill with debris covering most of his body. She tossed her hair with a flick of her hand and cast a condescending glance at the remains of her former opponent.

"**To think you thought you could take me by force? Know your place.**"

She turned her attention away from the mass of rubble and began towards Tsukune who was still hiding behind the scarecrow. He watched every step she took with great intensity. Her eyes locked with his, causing to feel like he was under some kind of spell. She stopped just a few inches in front of Tsukune standing over him. She bent over until their faces nearly touched and in a low hushed tone, whispered.

"**Impressed?**"

Darkness crept around the edges of his eyes as fatigue began to settle in. The last thing he saw was those hauntingly beautiful red eyes.

* * *

(3 minutes earlier)

Tsukune awoke to the feeling of someone stroking his hair. He turned his head upward to see Moka back to normal. He lifted himself off her lap once more to survey his surroundings. Everything seemed to be normal except the fact that Saizou was covered in dirt, seemingly unconscious.

"Wow Moka you're...incredible."

She blushed a deep crimson color at his accusation. They both stared into each others eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. Before either one of them knew what was about to happen their lips were about to touch and this Tsukune knew that this time it would happen for sure...

* * *

(Present)

That was the last thing he could remember; he and Moka were about to kiss and then he was falling. He was tossed off the cliff they were on and Moka had attempted to catch him. He did not want to die here, not now.

_**'He took your life.'**_

A chill ran through his spine, but it was not the same as the chill that Moka gave him, this chill was waning. This disembodied voice was, for lack of a better word, evil. He tried to speak, but his throat was closing up on him. Finding that it was too difficult to speak he thought of what he wanted to say, even though he doubted that it was going to be of any help.

_'Who's there?'_

_**'He took what would have been the most romantic moment of your short life.'**_

He tried to locate the source of the voice, but he did not see anyone, from what he could tell the voice was coming from inside his head.

_**'But most important is what he's going to do to that sweet little thing of yours.'**_

_'Moka-san!'_

_**'That's right, he's taken everything from you but your soul...and that's mine now!'**_

_'Where are you?'_

'_**She doesn't have to die…'**_

As painful as it was, he turned his head, trying to survey his surroundings. His eyes slowly scanned the surroundings of the cave trying to find the source of this voice. After several moments, he had found the source. Sitting in a small tide pool not five feet away was a mask, bone-white and shaped like a cross between a hockey mask and a human skull.

_'Wha-'_

_**'What am I? Well let's just say I'm god, your god or at least the only one that's willing to listen right now.'**_

_'Wha-'_

_**'What do I want? What any god would want; faith. For without faith I am nothing and without me you…well you're fucked.'**_

Tsukune didn't have time to listen to whatever this thing was. He had to find a way out, a way to Moka. He tried to move his head, but the pain radiating from his neck impeded his movement.

_**'Trying to find a way out? I'll save you the trouble, look up."**_

With as much strength he could muster, he cranked his head upwards. In the ceiling of the cave, he saw a hole with a beam of light coming down.

_**'Pretty isn't it? However, something tells me that you wouldn't be able to get up there even if you weren't half the gimp you are right now. However I can help.'**_

_'I must get to Moka-san.'_

_**'So I've figured but like I said before I'm willing to help in exchange for a small favor.'**_

This had finally grabbed his attention. He began to pull himself across the cave floor, cutting and scraping himself as he came closer to this evil object. He could hear the mask taunting him with comments like; _**Come on your almost there**_ and _**every second you waste is another second she's alone with him**_. After what seemed to be an eternity of wading over the rocky floor he managed to reach the tide-pool the mask was laying in. With a Herculean effort, he managed to roll himself onto his back facing the light. It was soon eclipsed by the mask in his hand and began to descend downwards.

_**'Yeessss, that's it boy. Put me ON!'**_

The moment it touched his face he felt it clamp on like some sort of torture device. His blood felt like it was on fire while his skin began to stretch to inhuman lengths. His muscles were torn apart and brought back together over and over again while his bones were set back in their proper place only to break again once again. If Tsukune thought he was dying before then this is what he felt what it was like to be in Hell. The sound of his clothes tearing was drowned out by the accumulative sounds of his screams, the ocean, and his own body tearing and stretching itself apart.

_**'Did I forget to mention the slight discomfort that may occur? Well you're gonna be feeling it a lot more so you better learn to love it, princess.'**_

He wanted it to stop to take it back; he just wanted to die instead. He could feel it once again the cold touch of death. Just as he was about to embrace it ready to give away his last breath images of Moka flashed across his eyes. He could not leave her again. Tsukune felt new life rush through him as he reached towards the light, towards Moka.

* * *

(Topside)

"TSUKUNE!"

Moka gazed into the waters of the raging sea as the waves crashed onto the rocks, foam churning with each hit. A harsh and callous laugh could be heard coming from behind her. She turned to face this person with a look of extreme disgust.

"You...YOU ANIMAL! You killed Tsukune!"

There stood Saizou still in his transformed state. His face was slightly swollen and a deep impression of a shoe was clearly present in his stomach but other than that he seemed fine. Quick as lightning he snatched Moka up in one hand and brought her up close. She tried to wriggle her way free of his grasp and kick him at the same time but to no avail.

"You kick pretty hard but not as hard as you think. I'll admit that I was knocked out for a bit but once I regained conciseness all I had to do was wait for the right moment."

His free hand reached out to touch her gingerly on the cheek. She recoiled in disgust at his touch. His hand then traveled down to her coat that was ripped off her along with her shirt, exposing her chest to the elements.

"The look on your little friends face when I pushed him off that cliff was priceless. I will remember it forever just like I'll remember yours after I'm finished."

The ground began to shake as if an earthquake was occurring. Saizou had released Moka from his grasp trying to figure out what was happening. He spun around to face Moka, pointing an accusing finger at her. Before either could say anything a large explosion was heard from behind them. Saizou turned and was met with a large dust cloud with a pair of glowing, yellow lights hanging in the air. He could feel the presence of another being in the cloud along with hearing the sounds of heavy breathing.

"Please help me!"

Moka tried to run to this new person, but was stopped when Saizou backhanded her.

"I don't know who you are but your de-"

It felt as though a vice-grip was wrapped around not only his neck but part of his chest as well. The lights in the cloud glowed brighter as if they were enraged by something he had said or done.

"Don't you DARE TOUCH MOKA-SAN!"

The voice sent chills down his spine. He recognized it but could not believe it. The same went for Moka, but instead of chills, she felt relief so much that she couldn't help but cry out.

"TSUKUNE!"

At that moment a strong wind blew to lift away the cloud and Moka's hopes as well. For what she saw couldn't be the Tsukune she had known. What stood there in front of her was a brutish being, a behemoth of twitching muscle and ripped clothing. In fact, the only article of clothing that was still intact was a tie that came with a school uniform. He was clearly over ten feet tall and wore a bleached-white mask over its face. She saw that He held Saizou by his throat and chest with only one of his hands. Without warning, he began to pummel Saizou mercilessly with his free hand over and over. Then he tossed him into the air allowing him to fall on the ground. Saizou managed to push himself up only to be tackled back onto the ground once more. This muscled bound hulk straddled his chest to deliver punch after punch with his gargantuan fists. After what seemed to be forever, he got off his chest. Blood sputtered from Saizou's mouth and the remainder of his nose which seemed to cave-in on it's self.

_'Oh Kami! Thank you Oh merciful one for letting it be done with.'_

He tried to move his arm when Tsukune decided to stomp down on his elbow with his newly formed gigantic foot, effectively breaking his arm in half. Then reaching for his hand, twisting it half way around until the audible sound of the wrist bones could be heard breaking. Then he proceeded to do the same to both knees and feet respectively. Saizou couldn't do a thing as he watched this supposedly dead weakling using his body for his own sadistic pleasure; he just wanted it to stop to pretend that he wasn't there. He watched in horror as this creature lifted both of its arms over its head and brought them down onto his chest. Jets of blood erupted as it continued to beat his chest like a drum. Soon his heart began to stop and start again on its own, like he was having multiply heart attacks while being resuscitated.

_'My heart! I...I can't...take anymore!'_

The chest beating continued until he was flipped onto his stomach with his face shoved into the ground. He felt the palm of one hand on the back of his head with the fingers wrapped around his skull and the other grabbing him by his belt causing his pants to ride up something fierce. He was dragged face first through the dirt for several yards until lifted up once more and kicked in the back, crashing into the same hill as before. He could feel the footsteps of this horrible beast coming closer and closer. His body was in so much pain that it was a wonder that he was still alive. He felt the hand the same hand that caused all of his pain on his shoulder, flipped onto his back he saw him clear as day. He towered over him like some sort of Titan, covered in the blood of his enemy. He watched as he calmly walked out of his sight hoping that he was satisfied with his revenge. He heard his footsteps once more except this time they seemed heavier. As soon as he walked back into his field of sight, he knew why. Over his head, he held a boulder that was ready to end Saizou. Saizou stared at him as his muscles stretched and twitch with excitement.

"NO DON'T!"

Moka ran out and stood in front of him to stop the slaughter with tears in her eyes.

"Please Tsukune don't...don't kill him. Please let's just go!"

Tsukune stared at her then at Saizou and again to her. The rock still over his head he contemplated on what to do.

_**'Kill him! Splatter him all over the place. Fucker do the same thing to you!'**_

_'No I can't! It would break Moka's heart and besides I'm better than he is.'_

_**'Oh great, a human with a moral code! Boy do I know how to pick'em...well beggars can't be choosers.'**_

Tsukune lugged the boulder off to the side where it landed with a loud but harmless 'THUD'. He turned his attention to Saizou's body watching it twitch and sputter. When he was satisfied that he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon he offered his hand to Moka who took it tentatively. He scooped her up in his hand with her sitting comfortably in his palm and brought her close to his chest where she could listen to his heart beating. She placed her head against his chest and he began to walk towards the academy for the final time.

* * *

(A/N)

Ok this is the first fic that I've written in a while so if my writing is a bit rusty please say so. This is my first Rosario+Vampire fanfic so be kind. Please review, even if you're not a member.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	2. Dreams within a Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire.

"_All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity."_

_James Arthur Baldwin _

Dreams within a Dream

The sun began to set behind them. There she sat in the palm of his hand like some sort of fragile, porcelain china doll. A cool breeze blew in their direction causing her to shiver. She wrapped her arms around her chest which was only protected by a simple cotton bra. As soon as Moka shivered she felt Tsukune's massive muscles moving against her back. He moved his now monstrous hand in front of her, acting as a buffer between the wind and her. She turned her head staring upwards into Tsukune's covered face. She stared into those yellow lights as they stared back at her.

"Tsukune?"

Though she stared into that bleach-white mask she could swear that she felt him smiling at her. This was Tsukune, her friend. The boy who claimed to be a human.

"What happened to you?"

He stopped in the middle of the path. The memories hitting him like a ton of bricks; the cave, the tide-pool, the mask, the voice, and the pain. That's what stuck to him the memory of the pain. No matter how long he lived or what he experienced in this life Tsukune knew he would never feel anything that would come close to that feeling.

"I'm...not sure. I was falling and then there was a cave. After that it was this thing-"

He moved his buffering hand to his face.

"-then it's a blur."

Moka turned her head away as if she was ashamed, biting her finger. She thought that it was her fault for letting him fall. The snapping of tree branches returned her attention back to Tsukune. He had reached up into the tree that they had stopped under to retrieve an large school blazer. Tsukune gave it to Moka. Immediately she recognized it as the coat that Saizou had removed from himself earlier.

"Here Moka-san I know your cold."

This was the tipping point for Moka. She burst into tears and hopped off his hand. Tsukune didn't know what it was that he did to upset her so badly. Raising both hands he tried to calm her down.

"I'm sorry Moka-san I didn't mean to make you cry!"

However this only seemed to make it worst as with each apology she cried even harder. To say that he was out of his league with this would be a gross understatement. He didn't know what to do except apologize further.

_**'I think you broke her, Kid.'**_

The voice took him by surprise. He stared over his shoulders trying to find the speaker. Tsukune reached up to touch the thing on his face. The voice, it was the same as the one he had heard in the cave. The same that told him to kill Saizou.

"I'm s-sorry Tsukune! It's my fault, I couldn't catch you. You must have been so scared. Were you hurt?"

Moka continued on with her frantic guilt trip completely unaware of the voice that just announced itself.

_'Why is she acting like she didn't her that?'_

_**'Because she didn't you moron!'**_

Tsukune almost jumped back in fright after hearing the voice answer his mental question.

'_How did you...?'_

_**'Jesus you're slow arnt'cha? **__**Helllooo! I'm in your head genius.'**_

Tsukune gripped his head in disbelief. Had he been in the right frame of mind he would have ignored this and would have comforted Moka or at least hoped that she wouldn't ask as to why he was gripping his own head. Luckily she was still in her own self-induced shame spiral to really know what was going on with him.

_'In my head?'_

_**'That's right in your head. I know about every thought that goes through here. Every thought, memory...fantasy. I know everything there is to know about you and I gotta say that your life is boring as fuck. For now on listen to me and I'll show you things that you've never dreamed of! Consider me as your own personal shoulder devil.'**_

Tsukune didn't want to believe a word this obviously evil being was telling him. He didn't believe that it was looking out for his best interest's and he certainly didn't believe that he could read his thought's.

_**'But I can!'**_

...Ok so he could read his thought's but he wouldn't believe that it was out for his best interest. To say that it would show him things that he couldn't even dream of seemed unlikely. When this thought entered into his brain he stared at his hands.

_'Look at me...what I've become.'_

_**'What we've become! Your wearing me and I inhabiting you. For now on we're a team and gonna be the best-est of buddies**_ _**you and I. Through thick and thin, good times and bad, 'till death do us part, Boy.'**_

This sudden announcement disturbed him deeply. The way this thing had worded it's sentence it was almost like a marriage, a union of two souls becoming one. He didn't want to be tied to this thing but something told him that he no longer had a choice or maybe he never did. He felt it once more the feeling that drove him to run in the first place however instead of the crushing fear he felt an overwhelming rage instead. Tsukune felt it building inside swelling like the raging sea he had crawled out of, crawled right into the clutches of this thing. His breathing became short, hollow and erratic while buzzing was heard in his head. He was tired of feeling trapped. All his life he was trapped in the background and when he was finally thrust into this blinding light that he believed to be better, he became trapped once more now in his own body. Why did he do this? Why didn't he just let himself die?

"Can you forgive me?"

He looked straight ahead into the tear stained face of Moka. Her eyes filled with emotions ranging from being sad to self loathing. Almost instantaneously all of the rage he felt building dissipate. Here he was thinking about himself and here she was blaming herself. This was why he didn't just give up and die, why he sacrificed his body and maybe his mind.

"I'm sorry Moka-san but I can't accept your apology-

He could have sworn that she would have broken down right there if he didn't manage to say.

"-because you have nothing to be sorry about."

Moka lifted her face out from her palms gazing at Tsukune with blood shot eyes. Suddenly she ran up to his and wrapped her arms around him. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your view)  
due to his now increased size Moka only reached up to his waist. She squeezed him as hard as she could, hands grabbing his butt and face almost digging into his crotch region. If he didn't have that mask on his face it would have been obvious to see from outer space that his entire face was a deep crimson red. She hung on him for several minutes taking in his scent. She could almost swear that she literally felt a great weight being lifted of her shoulders. Guilt can be an extremely destructive emotion. The brush of cotton material was felt on her back. Her trance was broken when she looked up. Again even though that mask impeded her view she could still feel Tsukune's warm smile.

"Here Moka-san your shivering again."

This time she accepted the jacket he offered her. Moka then reached out to grab his hand only managing to wrap her delicate fingers around one of his. Pulling him along the path, continuing towards the academy.

* * *

(Nightfall-Boy's dorm-Bathroom)

Tsukune stood over one of the many sinks in the boy's bathroom. He had brought Moka to the end of the path. He didn't want to leave the forest in fear of being spotted by somebody. She had told him that nobody would probably look at him twice. He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror thinking about the talk he had with Moka before they had parted their ways.

(Flash back)

_There they both stood at the end of the beaten path. Moka stood out in the open while Tsukune was hidden behind the trees. If anybody was there to witness this they would think that Moka was talking to the tree line._

"_Tsukune, why did that mask turn you into this?"_

_Only Moka could see him rubbing the back of his head, shrugging his shoulders._

"_I'm not sure about that myself but if it didn't than I wouldn't be here I guess."_

"_Well I'm glad that you put it on."_

_Moka's answer baffled him. She was glad that it turned him into this abomination? He couldn't understand it. She blushed slightly and turned her face away._

"_If you didn't put it on that mask...I wouldn't be able to talk to you anymore. That's why I'm glad it saved you."_

_H wanted to correct her for it wasn't for himself that he put this thing on his face...it was for her. As much as he wanted to tell her this he knew that he shouldn't. Suddenly Moka let a question that was building inside her for several hours._

"_Will I see you tomorrow?" _

"_Oh definitely!"_

(End Flashback)

_'Why did I tell her that I would meet her tomorrow? There is no way that I'll be able to see her!'_

_**'Why not?'**_

He raised his hand to the mask and started to rapt on it with his knuckles.

_'Hellloooo! Look at me! There is no way that I could show up to classes like this!'_

_**'...Touch me like that again you little prick and you'll regret it. That I promise you.'**_

Tsukune slowly lowered his hand and placed back on the sink. Somehow he knew that it would make good on it's threat.

_**'Good. Now if your image is so important to you then just ask. For now on I got your back.'**_

A familiar pain came back to him only this time it felt backwards if that was even possible. He felt his skin tightening immensely while his newly formed muscles were decaying inside him. He wanted to scream but with his neck muscles shrinking he could only manage grunts and moans.

* * *

(Boys dorm-Hallway)

Two students were walking towards their assigned rooms talking excitedly about being in a new school and all the pretty girls and teachers they could now talk up. Both have had somewhat of a successful run at their old schools but now they had the chance to totally re-invent themselves into a couple of studs. It was the perfect plan.

"Dude I swear the girls in my old school have absolutely nothing on the girls here."

"I know what you mean man. Ju'see that Moka chick? Talk about Hot, she was absolutely Smokin'."

"Yeah she's pretty hot but there's this one girl in my class with tits outta here man."

Both of them continued with their guy talk on the girls that they thought were 'Hot' and how big their 'Tits' are. As they neared the bathroom they one closest to the door reached for the handle.

"Hold on I gotta p-"

HARUUGG

They both jumped back in fright at the loud noise from the bathroom. Both boys stared at the door as if it was going to try and bite them. The violent groaning continued coming from behind the door. They decided to walk pass the bathroom calmly in silence. The only time a word came out was when one of them turned to the other to say.

"Guess that's why my Okaa-san is always telling me to chew my food."

* * *

(Boys dorm-Bathroom)

Tsukune was laying on the bathroom floor quivering. The pain had stopped moments before but was still fresh in his mind. His body was covered in a cold sweat. Was this what his life was going to be about? Pain and only pain. He tried to get up only to fight off the urge to vomit. He continued to shake on the disgustingly sticky floor. After several minutes he tried to get up once again and managed lift himself on shaky arms. Tsukune pushed himself onto his knees gazing at his skinny arms and now flat, smooth chest.

_'I'm...back to...normal.'_

_**'Like I said for now on I got your back. Though I'll never understand why you'd want to be like this.'**_

Tsukune jumped to his feet,fist pumping in the air. He began running in circles, whooping like a mad man. In the middle of the celebrations he stopped a ran over to the sink. He went to look in the mirror only slump in defeat.

"I thought you said you put me back to normal!"

_**'Right and you are.'**_

"YOU CALL THIS NORMAL!"

He stared into the mirror only to see the his skull still covered by this face huger. He tried to pull it off with his bare hands but it wouldn't budge.

_**'The fucks your problem?'**_

Still trying to pull off the mask with no success he answered angrily.

"I can't go to classes with you on my face so get off me!"

_**'Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch! Nothing is good enough for you is it? Fine, if you don't want to see me than so be it.'**_

Tsukune's face suddenly felt like it was stuck in a trash compactor. The yellow lights in the mask extinguished themselves showing only hollow sockets. If he didn't see it in the mirror he wouldn't have believed it. Skin began to grow around the mask or maybe it was sinking into him, he didn't care at the moment. Blood spouted from the surrounding skin of his head and splashed across the mirrors. Finally after what seemed to be an eternity, Tsukune's face was back to normal except for the fact that it was covered in his own blood.

_**'There feelin better?'**_

He quickly turned the taps on the sink full blast. With cupped hands tried to collect the water when a great stinging sensation was felt in his left eye. What he saw when he looked back at the mirror made his skin crawl. The blood, his blood began to move on its own like it had a life force all on its own and started digging itself behind his eye. He gripped his eye in a silent scream while the voice whispered in a low, sadistic tone.

_**'Waste not, want not.'**_

After a few seconds the pain receded but Tsukune still held on too his eye for dear life. He didn't want this, the pain or the voices. A tear began to run down his cheek out from sheer exhaustion.

_**'Are you crying? God for a dick, your such a pussy!'**_

Tsukune decided to ignore the voice and on wobbly legs shuffled out of the restroom. Steadying himself with one hand against the wall. He could feel his strength leaving him with every step he took. When he had reached his assigned room any feeling that he had was gone. He tried turning the knob but it kept slipping in his palms. Finally after several fruitless minutes Tsukune managed to open the door. Staggering through the door way he heard the faint sound of it's lock clicking as it closed. Stumbling over the floor he fell face foreword onto the soft mattress. The exhaustion of the day had finally caught up to him. Darkness enveloped him immediately.

* * *

(Morning-Boy's dorm)

Beams of light penetrated the glass windows of the room. Slowly they ascended upwards until they reached their intended target. The sun light hit Tsukune's eyes causing him to scrunch up. He reached up to gab his face. Relief washed over him when he felt his fingertips touching his face. His eyes began to flutter open as he took in a deep breath.

_'Thank god...it was just a dream,'_

_**'Wakey Wakey hands of snakey.'**_

Tsukune shot out of bed. It felt like ice cubes were injected into his spinal column. It was real all of it. The school, Moka, the mask, all real. He looked around the room to examine the new surroundings. It was bare and plain which was kind of soothing. He noticed both his duffel and book bag at the foot of his bed.

_'How did those get here?'_

_**'Instead of wondering about that you should be worrying about your clothing...unless you want to meet that sweet little piece of tail in nothing but your skivvy's.'**_

The thing was right. He noticed that the only thing that was left of his uniform was a pair of extremely stretched out shoes and pants that now resembled shorts. He reached for his bags to find some fresh clothing only to see that they were gone.

_'Where are all my clothes?'_

_**'Gee, I wonder were people usually hide their clothes. CHECK THE CLOSET!'**_

Tsukune ran to the small closet, throwing it open to reveal not only HIS clothes but several school uniforms and shoes. Inside the door there was a note taped on the inside. It was written in some sort of fancy font that he didn't recognize but still legible.

_To all freshmen; _

_Welcome to Youkai Academy. We hope that you will enjoy your time here as you continue your quest for knowledge and friendship. Due to the nature of this school we would like to remind you that all students are to remain in human form. However we realize that not all students follow this rule and mishaps do happen. As a result of this blatant disregard of the rules student uniforms are often thrown into some form of dis-repair. We ask that if this happens that you simply take whatever remnants of the uniform on a hanger, place it outside of your assigned room and it will be replaced by the end of the day. Thank you and may the next three years be the best that you have._

_From the desk of the Board Chairman._

_**'Deus ex Machina.'**_

* * *

(Outside the academy)

Moka stood outside the academy, biting her finger till she almost broke the skin. Several boys had come up to her and asked if they could walk her to class but she politely declined their offers. She was waiting for Tsukune. All night she thought about him, wondering what he was doing at that moment. For some strange reason she couldn't help but think that all night he was in some kind of pain. A hand descended upon her shoulder. She turned around to see Tsukune back to normal. She embraced him tightly while he just stood there stunned.

_'Wow...she smells amazing!'_

_**'Really? You got this grade A piece of meat with her arms wrapped around you and all you can think about is how good she smells? C'mon give her a squeeze.'**_

Just as he was about to make a rebuttal at that remark when he felt two small objects pierce his neck. He could feel the warmth leaving from his face once again. His knees began to buckle but was being held up by Moka. After a few moments he could faintly hear a popping noise as Moka released her bite on him. Tsukune heard her panting slightly trying to catch her breath. She held a dreamy expression while his breathing became slightly erratic.A low gurgling noise from Tsukune was enough to wake Moka out of her euphoric state. She started to shake him. When he caught his breath he tried steadying himself on his feet. Moka help him while holding a deep blush of shame.

"Gomen Tsukune. I was just really worried and when you arrived here...your scent, irresistible..."

Moka stopped with her tangent, although flattering ramblings when she noticed him staring at her. She averted her eyes in a shy manner. Tsukune heard another small 'Gomen' coming from her.

"It's Ok Moka-san. I know that vampires need to drink blood. I don't know how else you would get blood."

For some reason this just made her shy away more. She almost seemed embarrassed by what he said. Just as he was going to ask her what was wrong he heard her mumble something incoherent.

"Moka-san whats wrong?"

The way she nervously chewed her bottom lip while poking her fingers together, it was almost unbearable. In a small quiet voice so small that he almost didn't hear her.

"Actually Tsukune you are my first."

Tsukune was confused to say the least. Her first what? Where he was from when a girl says that you were their first you usually did something...intimate with them. From what he remembered the most intimate thing that they did was when she cradled him in her arms trying to shield him from death. Sure that was intimate but of a different sort. As he was trying to figure out what it was that they did together Moka could see the puzzled look on his face and decided to clarify.

"Before I used to get my blood from transfusion packs or drink tomato juice. Your the first person I've ever taken blood from...I'll always remember this, it will always be special to me."

Tsukune couldn't help but blush at her remark. He did feel special. He was Moka's first. Even the thought of that made him feel lighter than air and not in a 'Dear god I'm having my blood taken from me' kind of way but a 'This beautiful girl said that I'm her first and doesn't sound angry or crying her eyes out' way. A big goofy grin spread across his face while Moka grabbed his hand, dragging him to the front doors of the school. However unbeknownst to either of them a pair of angry eyes watched from afar: planning, scheming.

* * *

(School-Hallway)

Just like the day before everybody stared at him while he was walking with Moka. However today was different. Instead of the guys staring at him with jealous eyes and the girls staring at Moka with confusion, today the guys were looking at him with what appeared to be fear and some of the girls were looking at Moka with envious eyes. They both noticed this and each was equally confused. So much so that they bumped into two other people without noticing them. The others were a big guy and a somewhat pretty girl. Onlookers watched both boys mirror their actions by rubbing their own foreheads. The bigger one finished rubbing first and began to yell at him.

"Hey asshole watch whe..."

He began to trail off when he took one look at Tsukune. His face paled considerably while his mouth became smaller and smaller. Without a word he ran as quickly as his legs would go leaving the girl he was with behind. The girls herself fell on her butt. She got up with with a angry look on her face but once again it changed after she got a good look at Tsukune. Her expression changed from one of rage to a some what flirty look.

"Oh Tsukune-kun!"

Her voice was dripping with honey. She was swaying slightly while putting her hair behind her ear. Giggling lightly she placed her hand on his shoulder. Tsukune felt his arm being squeezed by Moka as she tried to stare down the girl who was touching him. She noticed Moka staring at her and quickly decided to remove her hand from him. As she walk by Tsukune he saw her wink at him and tried to sashay. Tsukune couldn't help himself as he turned over his shoulder to watch that girl but immediately stopped when the squeezing on his arm turned into a crushing sensation. His face cringed as he turned back to see Moka looking at him with a look of extreme irritation. They continued walking while everybody cleared a path for them.

"Tsukune what's going on?"

He didn't answer. He would have been pondering the same question if it wasn't for something bigger that was nagging at him.

_'Why are they afraid of me?'_

None of the guys would make eye contact with him. They would either slink away or tried to ignore him. This was completely new to him usually he was one of the guys who would slink away. To say that he was hating this would not be a complete lie. To be honest he didn't know what to feel.As they reached a corner Tsukune noticed three students huddle together. He stopped short so that they wouldn't see them. Moka placed her chin on his shoulder wondering what he was trying to listen in on. Thankfully the group wasn't speaking in a low voice so they didn't have to strain to listen.

"D'you think the rumors are true about Saizou and that Aono kid?"

"I don't know, man. I mean Saizou was a mean S.O.B. I heard that they had to force him to come here because he was causing a lot of trouble in the human world. Now they're saying that he was nearly beaten to death and by that guy who was hanging out with Moka? It's kinda hard to believe."

"It's true man. My friend saw them going into the woods and than Saizou went in after them."

"So? That doesn't mean anything."

"Yeah but a few hours later he saw that Moka girl come out of the woods talking to somebody big."

"Well couldn't that guy have been Saizou?"

"Nah man, my friend is an Amonder, well known for their sense of smell and he told me that who he saw definitely smelt like Aono."

"Well Ok, so he might be stronger than he looks but could he really have beaten Saizou as bad as they say."

"Well I didn't see him and neither did my friend."

"I did dude and let me tell you it was brutal. When they brought him in on the stretchers I saw that his arms were all snapped and his legs were bent the wrong way."

"Really? That does sound bad."

"That's not the worst part! His face was caved-in and all I could hear was this really nasty gurgling noise."

"Holy crap, dude sounds like a real angry freak! I wonder why that Moka hangs out with him. You know there's a rumor going around saying that she's a vampire."

"Really? I heard that vampire's are like invincible or close to it."

"I can believe that but if that's true I wonder what kind of monster that Aono kid must be to have a vampire all over him."

"I don't know but-"

"Shhh!"

One of the students finally noticed both Tsukune and Moka listening on their conversation. They began to scramble over each other, trying to get as far away from them. People in the hallways began to murmur about him. He could hear them saying things like 'Why would such a pretty girl want to hang out with a freak like him' and 'Did you see him lunge at them? I did.'. This was too much for him to handle. He tried to walk towards the doors leading outside when he felt Moka pulling on his arm.

"C'mon Tsukune just ignore them. We really should get to class."

However Tsukune just pulled from her grip and looked her right in the eyes.

"Gomen Moka-san but...I really need to be alone right now to think."

She watched him travel walking away with head down as if deep within thought. She could tell that he was trying to ignore those who cleared a path for him but it was obviously bothering him. Moka watched him exit through door and immediately everyone exhaled a breath that they apparently held in. She was reminded of Jr. High and the way she was treated. Alienated, feared and hated while people spread viscous rumors about her. How it would have been bearable if she just had one friend. Now it was happening to Tsukune. She had to talk to him, tell him that it was all going to be alright and that she would be there for him. Moka ran after him not caring that all the guys were trying to stare at her chest. She pushed open the doors only to find that Tsukune was nowhere in sight.

* * *

(Outside the school)

There he was all alone standing in a clearing staring into a lonely pond. No one was there; no judging eyes, flirtatious girls, frightened students, nothing except his reflection staring back at him from the water's glassy surface. He thought about what those students said about him. They had called him a freak. It wasn't the first time he was called that but it was the first time he felt like one. These were monsters, beings of myth, creatures that were great and terrible so much so that stories of these beasts were passed down since the dawn of man and they all thought that he was a freak.

"Am I a freak?"

_**'Freak is such as strong word...your just abnormally challenged is all'**_

"That doesn't help me."

_**'Not here to help besides who cares what a couple of shitheads think? Your better than them now.'**_

"Really? I'm better than them now. Please do tell how that is!"

_**'I'll let that one slip but if I catch you coping an attitude with me again it'll be the last time. Now to reiterate what I was saying you are better than them now and more importantly is that they all know it.'**_

"How so?"

_**'Simple, while you were concentrating on the fear in their eyes you missed something very important-Respect. In the wild, pack animals follow an Alpha leader. Now this Alpha leader is the biggest, baddest mother fucker of the group who eats first and gets all the bitches.' **_

"I'm not seeing what this has to do with my situation."

_**'Of course you aren't because 1) your an idiot and 2) you interrupted me before I got to finish. Now what I'm trying to explain is that this Saizou prick was the Alpha leader of the freshmen classes until you beat the living hell out of him. 'Cause you took him out you now assume the position of Alpha leader. Now do you get it?'**_

"But I don't want to be Alpha! I just want to survive the next three years while hanging out with Moka-san."

_**'You know I've been wondering...that girl's usually grabbing onto you like a monkey does his dick yet she didn't follow you. I wonder why? Perhaps something has changed her view of you.'**_

Tsukune was stunned by this things observation. Mainly because it wasn't wrong, besides the colorfully disgusting imagery Moka had clung to him all day yesterday and this morning. He did ask her if she could give him some time to himself but deep down he had kinda hoped she would've come along. Maybe she thought he was a freak too. He fell silent as he stared off into space, head completely empty of thought. He didn't know how long he stood there like that but it must have been a while because the sun had almost reached the apex in the sky.

"Someone help me please!"

The feminine voice had managed to snap him out of his mental funk. He looked across the pond to see someone laying on the grass in a ball. Forgetting about his own troubles Tsukune ran to the person who called for help. He extended his hand forward to help the person up off the ground. The person so too speak was an extremely pretty blue-haired girl. She was just over five foot wearing the standard school uniform skirt but was wearing a tight yellow sweater that stretched across her rather ample bosom. She grasped his hand and pulled herself close to him, hugging his frame. His body froze when this strange girl began to hang on him. He would've asked her to let go if it wasn't for the fact that she was panting heavily, almost like she was sick. A low wolfish whistle rang through his head as the thing under his face couldn't help but comment.

_**'Oh baby! Look at those giant puppies. YUMMY!**_

"Uh...you Ok? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

Continuing to pant she tried taking several deep breaths. After a few seconds she seemed manage herself enough to answer him.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I always have had a weak body even when I was a child."

She tried to walk on her own when suddenly her knees buckled, nearly dropping to the ground. As she swooned Tsukune managed to catch her in his arms. Once again she was clinging onto him, burying her head into his chest. He could swear that she was trying to breath in his scent. She eventually brought her head from out of his chest, staring straight into his eyes.

"Thank you for being so nice to me."

"It's nothing..."

"Kurumu, my name is Kurono Kurumu."

The way she spoke and move absolutely screamed woman. Her lavender eyes; soft, big and sparkled with life. He stared into those beautiful orbs for longer than he could tell but he couldn't stop staring. His heart was pounding in his ears while tunnel vision began to settle in around him. He tried to speak but some force was trying to stop from forming a full sentence.

"My...my...name..."

"Oh never mind that Tsukune-kun I've heard all about you."

She wrapped herself around his arm and began to pull him away from the clearing. Unknowingly Tsukune had just experienced his first encounter with a woman with a plan. Normally very little would stop a woman when her plans are set in motion but nothing was normal about this girl or her plans.

* * *

(Within the school grounds)

Tsukune had left nearly an hour ago and Moka managed to cover most of the school grounds. She was worried about him. He was the only human in this school or even this realm, surround by creatures larger and tougher than he was and they were shunning him, ostracizing him, calling him a freak of nature. She knew how that felt but she wanted to tell him that she would be there for him no matter what because she wanted to be his friend no matter what. After several more minutes of frantic searching she was back were she had started. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she slowly trudged toward a stone bench, sitting with her face in her hands.

"Hehehe...Oh Tsukune-kun! You're so funny."

Moka's face shot right out of her palms searching the area. There was Tsukune standing in front of the school doors. She stood up ready to rush him when she noticed some strange blue haired girl clinging onto his arm, in fact it was the arm that she usually clung on. She watched as the girl stared into his eyes with admiration and delight. To Moka's horror Tsukune wrapped both of his arms lovingly around this tiny woman, in a tight embrace. The girl squealed in giddy delight and began to rub her lower body against him.

"OH Tsukune-kun,you animal!"

This continued on until Moka finally could no longer stand this sight. She stomped off with anger and tears in her eyes. While Moka had her back turned deciding to enter the school through one of it's side doors she didn't see the evil smirk that appeared on the blue-nette's face or noticed the lifeless, almost dead look in his eyes.

* * *

(School-Hallway)

Moka stood by herself against the wall of the school's main hallway. She ignored the traffic of students passing through and thankfully because of the rumors of her being an 'item' with Tsukune the school's new 'B.A.M.F' they didn't dare bother her. She scoffed at that thought of her being with that pig of a man and here she thought that he was different from other boys. When he told here that he needed time to himself she believed that he was in pain so she decided to skip out on class to find and comfort him emotionally only to find him trolling for girls and trying to get into the pants of some blue haired...Hussy! To her surprise and anyone close enough to her heard her let out an extremely unladylike snort.

_'Why is this bothering me so much? Tsukune could hang out with whomever he wants I don't care...I mean it's not like we're boyfriend/girlfriend or anything like that.'_

She balled up her fists tightly and gently tapped the wall she was leaning up against. No matter how much she rationalized the situation the worst it seemed to get.

_**'You're being targeted.'**_

Her train of thought was metaphorically derailed at that point. A foreign voice had entered into her head and just warned her of possible hostile actions. She glanced from side to side to try and find who it was targeting her only to see the student's talking among themselves. A high pitched whistle caught everybody's attention. Moka looked up to see that a girl had jumped off the railing of the staircase leading to the second floor of the hallway. The landing would have been considered graceful if it weren't for the fact that in the process of falling she had exposed her butter-cup yellow panties, effectively flashing half of the school's population. Moka could hear all the male students screaming and whooping their perverse hearts out. She heard them say things like 'Woah she's so small but look at that rack!' or 'I didn't know there was another girl as beautiful as Moka.' and finally 'Dude! That's the chick I was telling you about last night!'. However the only thing she cared about was her blue hair and lavender eyes.

"YOU!"

The girl in question held a superior smirk and brushed her hair behind her ear. She looked over her shoulder into the faces of her adoring male fans. They began screaming and cheering once more but she just looked at them with disinterest.

"It seems that the only way a girl can get a man's attention in this school is by showing them her panties huh Moka-san?"

The way she smiled and said her name in the same fashion as Tsukune made her feel queasy.

"What do you want?"

She walked up to her with feminine grace, hips sashaying as if it were a second nature. They came nearly nose to nose. A group of guys circled them getting ready to see a cat fight.

"My name is Kurono Kurumu and I'm here to tell you that you will no longer hinder my plans."

"Plans?"

Kurumu let out a small feminine chuckle.

"Yes my plan to turn every man in this school into my personal slave. However because of you I couldn't do that but I've finally found a way around that."

Moka had no idea what this girl was talking about; enslaving men, plans, her in the way? Though Moka would never say this out loud but she was afraid that this girl might be delusional. Out of the blue Kurumu pointed her finger at Moka holding an evil look glinting in her eyes.

"I'm going to steal Aono Tsukune, the only person who you care about in this school away. Not only will it show that I can beat a vampire but if the rumors are anything to go by I will also control the strongest man in this school!"

"Why? What reason do you possibly have to do that?"

The look she held was reminiscent of that of a hungry wolf that had just spotted a wounded rabbit. She replied showing absolutely no remorse in her voice.

"Because I'm a Succubus...It's what I do best."

Moka was horrified. This girl was going to enslave Tsukune just to get back at her when she did absolutely nothing to deserve this. The crowd of boys began to disperse on one side revealing Tsukune walking up to the girls. Moka tried to speak out to him but Kurumu had beaten her to it by wrapping herself around his arm.

"Oh Tsukune-kun! I missed you."

The way she spoke and touched him sent her brain inflamed with rage however to her credit she kept her cool. The way Kurumu looked at Tsukune was same as the look she was giving him outside the school's main door but now Moka knew the truth behind that look. It was the look of a woman deceiving a man. A collective groan of disappointment came from the other male students when Kurumu latched herself onto him. Despite having this beautiful girl on him Tsukune was only paying attention to Moka. Kurumu eyes glittered with anger when she saw that her target wasn't paying attention to her. She tried to pull him away from Moka but he stood firm.

"C'mon Tsukune lets go somewhere a bit more private."

"I need to speak to Moka-san though."

Tsukune took a step forward only to have her step in front of him staring up into his eyes. She stood there for less than a minute and strutted confidently back to his arm. Slowly Tsukune's brown eye's meet with Moka's green ones and began to speak in a slow monotone voice.

"I want to be with Kurumu-chan. Goodbye Moka-san."

Moka couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tsukune wanted to be with this girl instead of her! She tried to scream but her voice cracked with the emotions she was trying to hold back.

"But Tsukune...She's using you! She's probably going to eat you!"

Again Tsukune responded in the same tone of voice.

"Better that than her thinking like I'm a freak."

That cut her to the bone. He thought that she thought he was a freak. The crowd waited for Moka's respond but it never came. A long 'Ooooohhhh' came from them as they watched Tsukune and Kurumu walk away. The breaking point came when Kurumu turned her head, locking eyes with Moka and held up her fingers in a 'V'. Moka's emotions could no longer be contained and ran as far away from them as her legs would take her.

* * *

(Infirmary)

Kurumu was celebrating her victory on the one of three beds that belonged in the office. Thankfully the nurse wasn't in her office due to a big fight between a couple of students outside the school grounds so she had to go to out to the area where the fight had occurred so both her and Tsukune were all alone. He was sitting on one of the chairs wallowing in self-pity.

"I can't believe I said that to Moka-san."

"_**Listen all I'm going to say is fuck her then FUCK her! If you ask me you've traded up somewhat."**_

"No, I've got to apologize to her."

Tsukune stood up ready to go find Moka when something snaked itself around his waist and pulled him down onto the bed that Kurumu was on. Trying to get off the bed Kurumu placed both of her hands on his shoulders roughly, pushing him back down onto the mattress. Her eyes were filled to the brim with triumph and something that if he had to guess was an extreme form of wanton lust. He was trying to get up but the moment he tried she placed her face in the crook of his neck and began licking. His entire body felt like it was frozen.

"Relax Tsukune...Kurumu-chan is here."

Time slowed to a trickle. Her lips began to slowly descend upon him. This girl was going to kiss him, a girl that he just met was going to give him his first kiss. Her lips glistening from the artificial light bouncing off of them but all he could think of was Moka. Suddenly time sped up with her lips were almost on his. In an almost ninja-like manner he managed to break whatever spell she had on him and quickly turned his head. Her soft, warm lips touch his right cheek. Her lips lingered for a few moments than left , leaving a warm impression.

"Gomen Kurumu-san but...there's someone I can't betray."

_**'Oh that's so romantic, truly a beautiful thing...wimp.'**_

the whole room was so quite that the sounds of their own hearts could be heard. Her hands still grasping onto his shoulders. He tried to get up once more but the grip on him tightened intensely till it began to pierce the skin. He looked up to see the eyes that were once filled with love and admiration were now filled with absolute hate for him.

"Why?"

Kurumu's voice quivered with loathing contempt.

"Why do you hate me so much? Is she really that much better than I? The things I did, some so embarrassing that I'll never be able to live them down!"

He felt her nails growing into him. A long, skinny black tail with a spade at the tip found it's way out from under her skirt and her ears growing slightly pointed. Tsukune's eyes nearly popped out of his head when the back of her yellow sweater ripped to reveal a large pair of leathery black wings. He tried to scream but Kurumu's tail coiled around his throat like a snake ready to crush it's prey. She quickly repositioned herself so that she sat on his chest and roughly gripped the sides of his head

_**'Hehehe I see London, I see France...'**_

_'Not...NOW!'_

He could feel his face turning blue as Kurumu's tail tightened further. She held a crazed look in her eyes. Tsukune could hear the blood pounding in his ears, deafening him to all other sounds. He watched her slowly descend upon him once more then turn her head towards the door, yelling a single word that he couldn't make out. In a flash she crashed face first into him, kissing him as roughly as she had headbutted him. Tsukune was in a daze by the combination of being choked, kissed, and the headbutt but he wasn't sure which was the main cause. He could feel her tail uncoiling from his neck and released her grip from his head.

"HA! I beat you! I'm better than you Akashiya Moka!"

Tsukune sluggishly turned his face towards the door to see someone standing in the doorway. With his vision blurred who couldn't make out any details but he could see that whomever it was had bright pink hair.

"Mo...ka."

There she stood in the doorway. The door was knocked off it's hinges which most likely happened when she came rushing in trying to rescue him. Kurumu was laughing like a mad man at Moka face while rubbing a red spot on her forehead. He could hear Moka crying her eyes out which only fueled Kurumu's laughter.

"That's right Moka! I want to see you cry, knowing that you couldn't beat me. Knowing that for all eternity your Tsukune will be my slave!"

"...Slave?"

She turned her attention back to Tsukune with a kind and loving expression. She caressed his cheek in a possessive manner. Her smile was similar to that of a psychotic person.

"Yes Tsukune for now on you will be ever loving loyal servant coming to my every beck and call. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"...NO!"

Stunned was an understatement as to what Kurumu was feeling at the moment. She barely moved as Tsukune struggled underneath her. She stared into space with the only part of her moving was a twitching left eye. Quietly the only words she spoke were.

"It didn't work..."

A ear splitting shriek erupted from her as she raised her clawed hand over his heart, readying to strike. At the moment she plunged forward she flew across the room, out the window and out of sight. Tsukune watched with a mixture of confusion and gratitude. The confusion part was obvious but the gratitude was from seeing Moka pushing the crazed demon off of him despite the things he had said earlier.

"Moka-san what I said earlier-"

She cut him off almost immediately with a voice that expressed relief and fierce determination.

"It's Ok Tsukune I know you didn't mean any of it. She had you under a charm. She's a Succubus."

_'A what-cubus?'_

_**'A Succubus is a destroyer of men. A temptress that feeds on the life force of her victims through...sexual contact.'**_

"What does she want?"

Moka calmly answered him with grim honesty.

"She wanted to get back at me by enslaving you."

"Enslaving me? But I'm too young for marriage!"

_**'Ba-zing.'**_

"Wait why would her enslaving me get back at you? It's not like were boyfriend/girlfriend...right?"

The awkward tension in the room rose steadily. They stared at each other, unable to speak with one another. Just as the were about to leave the room an all to familiar tightness found itself around his neck again and yanked him out the window. Unfortunately Moka had grabbed onto his leg before he completely exited the room via the window, adding to the already unforgiving weight on his neck. His eyes traveled upward to see Kurumu flapping her leathery wings as hard as she could but already a heavy sweat was forming causing her sweater to cling to her body. Finally no longer able to support the both of them she released her grip on Tsukune's neck watching them fall to the ground.

As they fell through the air Moka managed to grasp onto a tree branch while Tsukune continued on his way to meet the ground. A healthy 'SMACK' resonated throughout the small area as he finally reached his destination. He felt his nose break along with a rib. He managed to push himself up on his ass with a groan.

_**'Hey! Your nut-sack's not fused to your chin is it? Quit your bitchin' and get your ass up.'**_

A crunch came from his nose as it placed itself back into place and the pain from his abdomen began to fade. The moment he managed to catch his breath the sound of branches snapping caught his attention. He looked up to only see up Moka's skirt and have her land squarely on his lap.

_**'Now we know that it's not fused to your chin.'**_

Moka quickly got off his lap and managed to pull him up on his feet. They began to run towards the school when they were cut off by the shadow of an airborne Kurumu. As soon as she spotted them on the ground she began to do a nose dive after them. They both rolled out of the way both feeling the wind brushing past them. Tsukune looked up to see several trees sliced through cleanly. He gawked in horrified amazement at the sight.

_**'Dammnnn! That Pussy's got claws.'**_

"I WON'T LET EITHER OF YOU GET IN THE WAY OF MY MISSION! YOU BELONG TO ME AONO TSUKUNE!"

She prepared for another Kamikaze run he could feel Moka gab him. She placed his face in her chest in a protective manner while staring down Kurumu with a brave face. He reached out to feel the rosary on her choker. He tried tugging on it but wouldn't budge for the life of him. In a frantic manner he continued to try and pull it off while Moka spoke out.

"Tsukune doesn't belong to you...he's my friend!"

This heart-wrenching proclamation was somewhat lost on him as he only heard 'He's mine'. Was he property to these women? Some sort of trading card that little kids fight over? The next thing that happened was the straw that broke the camel's back.

_**'Silly bitches, we both know that you belong to me!'**_

In a fit of anger he twisted himself around to face Kurumu to scream out.

"I BELONG TO NOBODY!"

At that moment a flash of spectral light filled the area. Kurumu was pushed back by the spiritual blow-back. Tsukune brought his attention back to Moka only to his shock to see her bight locks of pink hair become silver, her peaceful green eyes turned crimson while her serene features became angry once more. Finally he noticed that her silver rosary was in his hands. She stared at him with same look that she had given him the day before; a small dangerous smile under half-lidded eyes. The new Moka calmly stepped forward towards Kurumu and taunted her by turning her hand palm-up and flex her fingers in a 'come forward' gesture. Kurumu went crazy, charging at her while screaming.

"I DON'T CARE, VAMPIRE! YOU WON'T STOP ME!"

However Moka let out a dark chuckle and quietly spoke.

"**Poor, frail egotistical woman."**

As soon as she was close enough Moka turned her body just enough that Kurumu whooshed past her only to have her tail grabbed and be violently thrown into a tree. She felt the air rush from her lungs as she lay paralyzed on the spot. Moka walked toward her with such cold grace that she felt every nerve in her body shut down. Moka's words reached her ears only to have her wish that she was deaf.

"**Bare fangs at me?Know your place little girl. Perhaps I should rip those wings off along with that pretty tail of yours, what say you?"**

Kurumu tried to get away from her but still couldn't move. Tears of fear welled up in her eyes as Moka closed in on her. She was scared, she was going to die. She closed her eyes tightly not wanting see what was going to happen to her, bracing herself for pain.

"**What are you doing?"**

'What are you doing' was not something someone said to the one that you were about to kill. Kurumu opened her eyes to see Tsukune standing in front of her facing Moka. She couldn't understand what he was doing and by the cold look on Moka's face she didn't know either.

"That's enough Moka. Despite what she did I honestly don't believe she did it out of evil intentions."

"**She turned you into her own personal puppet then tried to kill you."**

_**'Hottie's right. Bitch tried to enslave you to get at your two closest friends and I ain't talking about her or me.'**_

_'You're not my friend.'_

"_**Ooohh...that's cold.'**_

"I know but...I just can't see her as a bad person."

Moka scoffed at him and snatched her rosary from his hand.

"**Don't get me wrong I don't care what you do with her but if she tries to take my 'juice box' away from me again, I'll finish what I started."**

Her rosary re-attached itself to her choker with a small 'PLINK' noise. Moments later she swooned into his arms. He watched the silver color in her hair bleed out to be replaced with pink, her fangs shrinking slightly. He held her in his arms sleeping peacefully. Turning back to Kurumu she looked up at him with disbelief and tear stained eyes. All he could do was send a small smile at her which she simply looked away with shame. Moments passed and he decided to leave her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

(Next day-Outside the school grounds)

Moka and Tsukune were walking together to school deep in conversation.

"So the rosary told you that I was in trouble?"

She nodded her head shyly.

"Yes...She told me that it wasn't you saying those things but rather her making you say them...though to be honest it must be kinda weird. Hearing me talk about a voice in my head huh?"

"Not as weird as you think..."

Moka stared at him with confusion when somebody stood in front of them.

"Good mornin!"

They both jumped back when they saw Kurumu standing in front of them with a plate of what appeared to be fresh baked goods. Tsukune instinctively jumped behind Moka for protection while she let him spreading her arms wide open to protect him. Kurumu held a big smile, pushing the plate forward.

"Cookie?"

They stared at the plate with great suspicion until Kurumu took a bite out of one herself. Slowly they reached out for one of their own and took a bite out of them. To their surprise they were good, really good. For a moment of silence they all stood around eating cookies. Kurumu was the first to finish her's and began to talk.

"My way of an apology...for how I acted yesterday."

Tsukune looked her right in the eyes and told her flat out.

"It's Ok Kurumu-chan...worst has happened to me."

_**'Wait a minute...you're talking about me arnt'cha?'**_

She blushed deeply looking away shyly.

"Um...Tsukune? Do you remember when I said I was on a mission?"

"I roughly remember you saying something like that."

"Well it's to find my Destined one."

"Destined one?"

If possible her blush went even deeper.

"Yes a Destined one is the man who I will be with for the rest of my life and who will eventually...father my children."

At that point he started to choke on his cookie. Moka tried patting him on the back. After a few back pats he finally got his breath back.

"Well...that's, uh...a good mission I suppose. I hope you find him."

"Well that's the thing...I already have."

"Well than he's a lucky man. Doesn't know how lucky he is."

She simply stared at him. She had a big smile and stared at him. Why was she staring at him? Finally Moka tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Tsukune I think she was talking about you."

"Yeah I kinda just got that."

She jumped at him with a bone crushing hug, shoving his face into the valley between her breasts. Just as he heard Moka yelling at Kurumu for suffocating him the only thought that raced through his head was.

_'Oh no.'_

* * *

(A/N)

Wow...what a plethora of reviews=( Seriously I know that I'm not the greatest story writer but I would have thought I would've gotten at least one review even constructive criticism. Oh well maybe this time.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	3. Dark Waters

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire.

"_Dignity is a mask we wear to hide our ignorance"_

_Elbert Hubbard_

Dark Waters

Over a month had passed since the day he had entered into the academy, a month since he met Moka, a month since he had a decent nights sleep. Every night the same vivid dream. A deep never ending blackness surrounded by the stench of burning, rotten corpses and a cold ruthless laughter echoing through the darkness. Then every morning as he awoke from this hell he would be greeted with.

_**'Mornin sleeping beauty, have any good dreams?'**_

It was taunting him trying to get a rise out of him but never gave it the satisfaction. Every morning he would wake up to get dressed and walk to school with Moka and Kurumu. Surprisingly it turned out that all three of them were in the same homeroom. Originally Kurumu sat a the opposite side of the room but now decided to sit in the desk that used to belong to Saizou so she would right next to her 'Destined One'. Yes Kurumu had decided that he was to be her 'Destined One' the man she would be with the rest of her life and who would help her restore her tiny species from dwindling into nothingness. Moka seemed less than happy that she would try to get his attention by jumping on top of him stroking him lovingly while he silently suffocated in her rather large chest. Once Moka had pointed out that Tsukune could not be her 'Destined One' because he wasn't enslaved after the kiss she gave him but Kurumu had answered back with fire in her eyes.

"That only proves that Tsukune-kun is my Destined One. My kiss not working is a sign telling me that I have to win him over with my natural feminine charm."

Both Moka and Tsukune had to give her points for determination because during that month she greeted them the same way ever morning. Shoving her chest into Tsukune's face then playing a small game of tug-of-war with Moka using his arms as the rope. It wasn't a bad way to be greeted every morning in fact he kinda liked it. He never had two girls fighting over him. He knew about people who would juggle multiple girls but never dared to think it happen to him. Not that he was juggling them like everyone thought, he would never be so cruel but the other students did not know that. Thankfully the rumors of him being a savage, rabid beast after the blood of the innocent and pure were starting to die down (like Saizou was anything but) however now they were saying that he was a gigglo out to conquest all of Youkai academy's beauties.

_**'They say that every lie has a grain of truth to it.'**_

Class had already started and everybody sitting at their desks with Nekonome-sensei talking about this week's topic: Famous writer's who were avid cat lover's. Tsukune sighed in tired exacerbation. Every moment he would hear the snide, crude, and sometimes sexist remarks from the thing on him and no matter how hard he tried to ignore them it just wouldn't shut-up.

_'Would you please be quite I'm trying to listen.'_

_**'Listen? About how this pussy drones on about other pussy's pussies? Why would you want to waste what precious few brain cells you have left learning about that?'**_

_'Is there anyway to turn you off?'_

_**'Hey! You didn't have to put me on did you? You should be honored that you have the privilege of listening to my commentary.'**_

_'I had no choice.'_

_**'Bullshit. You could have died and rotted away in that cave.'**_

_'Not much of a choice'_

_**'Never said it was.'**_

The conversation continued on for nearly half an hour. Just as soon as the bell was about to ring for dismissal Nekonome-sensei tapped on the board to get the classes attention.

"Now I know you're all anxious to leave but I do have a few announcements. First off the test results for the first semester quarterly exam will be posted outside on Sunday. Now we don't want anybody to freak out about their test results so for the rest of the week we ask that you go down to the main hall and join one of Youkai Academy's many clubs! To help you understand the human psyche better we offer many clubs that are found in their world...not to mention a truly spectacular newspaper club run by yours truly."

Despite the shameless plug-in for her own club Tsukune was actually excited about this. He was sure that if he could find the right club not only would his reputation of lust craved violent freak would fade away but he could use this to further a relationship with Moka if they were to join the same club. However to convince her would take cunning, style, and slight manipulation on his part. it wasn't going to be easy.

"Hey Tsukune."

He turned around to see Moka leaning over her desk nearly face to face with him.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we join the same club?"

He just nodded in agreement and turned back to face the front of the classroom. He held a sly grin on his face.

_'Oh yeah! I'm that good.'_

The bell finally rang allowing the student body to leave their classrooms in order to leave. The excitement of the clubs being offered ignited the student body with chatter...all but one. Originally Tsukune was excited about the clubs and what they could do to his reputation and Moka's relationship with him but right now he was at a mental quandary or rather forced into one.

_**'Do you really believe that the both of you joining a little club together will clear the path of all obvious obstacles? Maybe finally become the June bride you've always dreamed of being?'  
**_

_'What do you mean? Me and Moka being in the same club would give us more time together. Allowing us to know each other better.'_

_**'Pfft...kid I know everything about you and trust me a little mystery will go a long way for you. Besides I think you're forgetting one tiny detail.'**_

_'What's that?'_

_**'Oh nothing big really just the fact that you're a human and to her kind, Vampires, you my disturbingly smooth friend are nothing more than a walking buffet.'**_

_'Moka doesn't see me like that...except for that one time she said that but I know that she didn't mean that.'_

_**'Ok I'll yield to your obvious extensive knowledge of the female psyche and ask you this. How could your race accept her when one of your species's ultimate taboos is bestiality and no matter how you look at it that's what it would be if you and her ended up together.'**_

_'I don't care about that...'_

It was true that he didn't care however it did pose a possible problem. What if she cared about that? What if she didn't want a relationship with him because he was human and this was just a wild goose chase? He had to talk too someone about this but who? Like a thunderbolt it hit him and knew exactly who to talk to. Just as everybody was leaving Tsukune stayed behind. He told Moka that he would meet her at the hallway so they could check the clubs out together. As soon as he was alone he turned to his sights too his intended target. There she was grading the papers of her students. For some reason Nekonome-sensei seemed more open to the idea of co-existing with the human race than most students or even some of the teachers for that instance. If he could ask anyone about monster/human relationships it would be her. Deep in thought she wasn't even aware that he was standing in front of her desk trying to get her attention. He 'Ahmed' a few times but still could not get her attention. Finally he decided to knock on her desk which led to disastrous results. Papers flew about the place and the flash of steely claws raked across Tsukune's cheek. Her hair stood up like the hackles of an angry cat while breathing through her teeth. Once she saw who it was she attacked immediately her features became apologetic.

"Oh Tsukune-san! Gomen nasai I wish you would have announced yourself first!"

Deciding against arguing with her he simply nodded and sat in the seat she had offered him. She searched through her desk and pulled out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and cotton swabs. As he applied the cotton swabs to his cheek he noticed that she had picked up a nail file and began to whittle away at her nails all of which were either cracked or broken.

"Jeez Tsukune-san, this has never happened to me before. You must have tougher skin than I thought."

The problem was that he knew he didn't have tough skin. Several times while in Jr. high school girls had asked him what kind of lotion he used for skin care but he didn't use any. No what just happened wasn't because of him. However right now he was on a mission. A mission that could forever change his life concerning his future here with Moka and had no time to deal with the beast of burden.

"Gomen Nekonome-sensei but I was hoping if you could help me with something..."

Her catty tail shot from underneath her denim skirt and a matching pair of ears popped from her hair. A big and (pardon the pun) cat-like smile appeared on her pretty face. She reached out and grabbed his shoulders and began jumping up and down in her seat.

"Really? Oh that's wonderful Tsukune-san. You'll be the first student to ask for my help. So."

She than placed her elbows on her desk and looked him right in the eyes like they were a couple of girlfriends at a slumber party ready to play truth or dare. He didn't really know what to do at that moment so he decided to just ask his question in a dastardly original way.

"You see I have this friend-"

"Moka-san?"

"No no not Moka-san. I have this other friend and-"

"In our classroom?"

"Uh...no. In another classroom but you see he-"

"Which classroom? I know several students who are in different classrooms."

"He wants to remain anonymous! Please Nekonome-sensei let me finish."

"What's stopping you?"

_**'Bada Bump!'**_

He hung his head in slight defeat, exhaling loudly. He looked back up at her to see that she still held an innocent face of one who wanted nothing more than to help. He regained his composure and asked his question.

"What I'm trying to say is that there's this friend of mine and he really likes this girl but there's a problem."

"Does she already have a boyfriend?"

"No nothing like that...the thing is she lives in the human world and-"

At this point she lifted her hand to stop him from speaking. He didn't understand why. Maybe he said to much or possibly saw through his question and now knows that he's a human or worst yet the idea of a human/monster relationship was so ridiculous that she wanted to hear nothing more about it.

"Tsukune-san..."

He gulped with anxious fright.

"Tell your friend that he has nothing to feel ashamed of."

He felt relief wash over him in great waves. Nekonome smiled as she continued on.

"Human/monster relationships are not unheard of nowadays."

"Really!"

She nodded her head in a knowing fashion.

"Of course. Many of our race would have died out long ago if not for those inter-species relationships. Of course there are those who believe that monsters should not look outside of their own for partners but not many of them are left."

Tsukune felt like he was walking on air at that moment. He could have a meaningful relationship with Moka if she wanted it. He felt her place her hand on his and looked up.

"Tell your friend that if he has any more problems like this come and see me. Not all of the teachers here feel the same way that I do about those kind of situations."

"Nekonome-sensei how do you know so much about this kind of stuff."

She looked up at the ceiling deep in thought with a small smile like what one gets when they visit upon a simpler time in their life.

"Oh well I myself was in a relationship with a human once."

It was at this time the thing told him he should leave and he had to agree. Something told him that he didn't need to know this but she continued on with her story, trapping him into listening.

"It was almost seven years ago that we met each other. He the owner of a small sushi stand and I his best customer. Ken...Ken Nakamora was his name. He had such strong features almost intimidating but had the softest eyes of blue. We were in love the moment our eyes locked. I thought we would end up together but..."

"He found out you were a monster."

"Oh no...He found out a year after we moved in. No the reason we broke apart was because of something much worst."

"What could be worst?"

"He developed a severe cat allergy."

In any other situation that might be funny but Tsukune didn't know what to make of it. All he could do was say his condolences and leave the classroom to meet up with Moka. She mused in her thoughts while playing around with her own tail. Thinking about her life, the choices made and how her life could have been.

He stood outside the classroom, gloating for this small but important victory.

_'HA you were wrong and I was right! I can be with Moka-san.'_

_**'Huh? I'm sorry but I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy thinking about the part of her story where they LEFT EACH OTHER!'**_

_'That was because he developed a cat allergy not because they couldn't be together.'_

_**'Right he conveniently developed a 'cat' allergy.'**_

Tsukune could no longer take it. He had to stand his ground and it was now or never.

_'I'm sick of you and the way you always look at the low end of the spectrum! I happen to believe that people when given the chance can rise above the fold.'_

_**'You know I'd be laughing my ass off right now if I had one but I believe I warned you about giving me attitude.'**_

_'What are you gonna do about it?'_

_**'Stop it Boy I mean it!'**_

_'UP YOURS YOU STUPI-'_

Tsukune's insult stopped in mid thought. His entire body seized up. He couldn't move at all, almost like his brain had stopped all communication with his limbs. The worst bit however wasn't that he couldn't move but everything else had stopped; lungs, heart, cognitive thought. The only thing that still work was his self awareness.

_**'This is what happens to those who piss me off. I take away what little they own. However because I am so merciful I have allowed you to not shit all over yourself. Now you will listen to what I have to say.'**_

He stood there almost statuesque in the middle of the tiny hallway. He was unable to communicate in either a vocal or mental capacity. It was almost like he was in a theater watching a movie, no matter how much he stomped or yelled at the screen the actors wont listen to him. The only difference from a theater was that he could feel and hear everything. The gentle breeze against the glass window panes, the dust settling on his skin. He had become hypersensitive to the world which only fed the feeling of dread welling up in his gut.

_**'Now I'm going to say this once and only once, stay away from that vampire. Now I know your not going to do what I say but just let me say what needs to be said without being such a little girl about it. This girl may seem sweet and innocent on the outside and on the inside a dangerous forbidden flower but trust me it won't work. I've seen this story play out many times and they all end the same way. First it's all innocent fun and then you decide to be with each other forever and ever but you will find out the hard way that there is life after marriage. One day you get into an argument and she'll decide to get even. She will leave you and the worst part will be that you'll blame yourself for it. Take advantaged of my learned wisdom for though she may seem perfect with that flawless smooth skin, those big green eyes that you could just lose yourself for hours in. Behind all that...is a hollow white skull, laughing at you.'**_

Slowly the sensations removed forcibly from his body returned to him. His lungs released the stagnant air that was locked in moments before. The conversation sunk into his mind. He wouldn't believe it's foul words but he could not stop thinking about what it had said. She would leave him and he would blame himself for it.

_'That's never going to happen.'_

_**'Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you.'**_

* * *

(Main Hallway)

The halls were bustling with life as people crowded the club stalls. Every freshman was rushing to get in the clubs that suited them best. They were clubs for nearly everything that was in the human world like; fishing, chemistry, manga, photography, etc. Everybody rushed to reach the clubs they wanted before they couldn't accept new members. Tsukune had managed to catch up with Moka just at the foot of the stairs. Moka was awestruck at the number of people and the diversity of the clubs themselves.

"Wow! Tsukune look at them all! Which should we look at fi-"

"Swim club!"

Moka looked at him with raised eyebrows while Tsukune rubbed his neck looking around the as if he was trying to say 'That wasn't me who said that'. After a small silence he decided to break the tension forming between them.

"What I meant was that Swim club would be a great club to join because...it's really good for you um...physically and we could uhhh easily make friends and stuff like that."

_**'Nice save dingus but we both know what your after.'**_

_'I have no idea what your talking about.'_

_**'I'm curious myself. What do you think, sexy one-piece or string bikini or rather Brazilian or Au naturale?'**_

His body went rigid at the implications of that question. Moka held a slightly anxious look on her usually immaculate facial features.

"Well...that does sound like fun but-"

She extended her arm out and swept her handacross the area.

"Everyone here worked really hard with these presentations and we should at least check them out."

He couldn't say no to her. So instead of heading straight to the swim club pavilion they decided to check out the rest of the clubs available to them. Some of the more popular clubs were already fill out and the less than courageous ones said that their rosters were already filled. However that's not to say that people didn't want them in their clubs.

"PLEASE MOKA-CHAN JOIN SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB YOU'LL BE PERFECT!"

The spokesman for this particular club looked half dead as it was so the idea of a spirit photography club in a school for monsters/ayashi seemed a little redundant. Tsukune would have just pulled her away from him until he asked her if he could use her for quote 'A nude muse'. He snatched the camera away from the guy and tossed it back at his head watching it bounce in a somewhat comical fashion while calling him a perv. As soon as they got away from that creep they bumped into a group of students wearing lab coats.

"Oh goodie more people to join chemistry club! Please come with us Moka-san and help make love powders and aphrodisiacs."

He pulled her away from them only to see several clubs merged into a small mob all walking towards them at an agonizingly slow pace. Tsukune watched them in horror as they approached like the living dead. He looked at Moka who held a similar expression.

"Join us Moka-chan. One of us, one of us gooble gobble one of us."

Quickly they ran from the crowd of overzealous Moka fans until they reached the end of the hallway. While they were still surrounded by club stalls they had managed to get away from the rabid ones. Both panting with hands on their knees they looked at each other with small smiles. Tsukune reached out to the wall to push himself up but instead grabbed something smooth and soft.

"OH my!"

He whipped up to see his hand squeezing on someone's tight backside. He jumped back to see Moka looking at him like he had planned that.

"Aren't you a 'cheeky' young man."

The woman in question was older maybe early to late twenties so she was most likely a teacher of sorts. She was wearing a blue string bikini bra with a silk wrap around her waist and a pair of simple sandals. She had an athletic build about her and must have been around 5'6 ft. She had a pretty face with blue eyes and lite green hair with a medium cut. Tsukune apologized profusely to the woman all the while hoping that Moka believed him. The woman gave a dismissive wave.

"Oh not to worry. Believe it or not your not the first student to try however you are the first to succeed."

Moka held her arms crossed under her chest. She was not thrilled to hear about Tsukune's newest achievement.

_'He seems to have a lot of accidents like these.'_

_**'You think these are 'accidents'?'**_

"I truly did NOT mean to do that! I was reaching for the wall and really it was an accident and-"

"Tell me your name."

"Huh?"

She held a smile.

"Well usually I like to know the names of those who goose me, wouldn't you?"

"No no no no I didn't goose you it was an accident and-"

She reached out and grabbed the sides of his head so he would look straight ahead into her eyes.

"I'm Ichinose Tamao and you are?"

"A-Aono Tsukune."

_**'Oh how easily man is tempted by the flesh of a woman.'**_

He gulped audibly as she closed in on him. The sight of an older woman possibly giving off sexual advances to him was like something out of a dirty movie. Suddenly her hands began roam around his body, grabbing and rubbing various parts of him. He was jerked back violently and felt a pair of arms wrap around him possessively. Tamao brought her hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner.

"My what a wonderful body tone you have, perfect for my club. We could use a pair of...Strong hands. What do you two say."

She put an emphasis on the word strong making it easy to see that it was meant as an double entendre. The arms around him tightened, nearly to the point of crushing. Moka glared at Tamao with a scrutinizing look. Call her old fashion but the idea of a teacher making moves on a student did not sit well with her. She was about to tell her that they decline her generous offer when the words "There she is!" rang across the hallway. Deciding that dealing with this woman was better than dealing with them she quickly accepted her offer with much enthusiasm. All of her fans slumped in defeat and slowly retreated back to their own individual stalls. Tamao on the other hand clapped with with excitement.

"Wonderful, two new members. The others will be so glad to hear about this."

Moka wiped away the sweat that had formed on her brow.

_'Finally me and Tsukune can get closer to each other.'_

"Oh girls...we have new members."

Out of nowhere dozens of gorgeous girls popped out from the club stall, surrounding them. Each one of these girls were beautiful to their own degree. Each one of them surrounded Tsukune, whispering to each other and placing their hands on his shoulders. On the outside Moka held a smile but inside was a different.

_'No problem! This is not a problem! I can get past this.'_

"Our club is all female so any boy who joins would get all the attention he could ever want."

_'N...NOT...PRO...BLEM!'_

Still she held a sweet smile but if anybody were to look a little closer they would see a slight vein throb on the side of head and hear the faint sound of knuckles cracking under the pressure of a tightening fist. Blood pumping in her ears, she could feel her patience about to snap when a hoard of boys rushed past clamoring for the attention of all the girls in this club. Immediately they dispersed from Tsukune and worked their charms on them instead. She silently navigated through the crowd of hopefuls and managed to find Tsukune by himself.

"My how many new members we have! All I could say is welcome to the swimming club!"

* * *

(Pool)

There they were standing by the pool, both watching everybody swimming and laughing. Moka was sitting at one of the poolside tables while Tsukune stood only five feet from the edge lost in his own little world.

_'Yes! It must be fate that cause that mob to chase us all the way into Swim club. Now not only to I get the chance to get to know Moka better but also get to see her in a swim suit! I can die happy!'_

On the outside he was calm, cool, collected but on the inside he was doing cartwheels and jumping all over the place.

"Umm Tsukune? I uhh...really don't...like to swim."

He stood there with no noticeable change on his face but on the inside all that celebrating had stopped.

_'Not...like...swim?'_

_**'HAAAHAAAHAHAHAHA!'**_

Tsukune walked slowly backwards until he reached the table. He plopped down on the seat and stared off into space, crushed that his dream was no more. As he looked onward he felt someones hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Moka reaching over in a calming manner.

"Hey Moka-san...wanna get out of here?"

Nodding they both decided to leave. As soon as they reached the gate Tsukune was spun around to being face to face with Tomao.

"Tsukune-kun where are you going? Come in and join us."

Looking back at Moka he turned to face Tamao.

"Uhh, Gomen Tamao-sempai but swim club really isn't for us."

"Nonsense Tsukune-kun you haven't even gone in yet! C'mon the water's perfect."

"N-No that Ok. Besides I don't even have a bathing suit."

She snapped her fingers and in an instant a few of the girls slammed a box down in front of him a pulled out a pair of black swim shorts.

"That's good because we have so many extra."

Another snap of the fingers and several pairs of hands flew out and grabbed Tsukune. They pulled him towards them, shredding his shirts and unbuckling his pants. Moka tried to stop them but Tamao smoothly stepped in front of her.

"Your Akashiya Moka-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"-the one who's rumored to be a vampire, right?"

Moka tried to peek over her shoulders to see if Tsukune was alright but she kept moving in her line of sight.

"If-"

"WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING THERE?"

"-you have no inten-"

"WHERE ARE YOUR HANDS?"

"-tion to swim, then why don't you leave?"

The girls stepped back too admire their work. He stood there shaking slightly in a pair of black swim shorts that hugged him snugly. His eyes wide open while the voice in his head was congratulating him for becoming a man. He opened his mouth ready to say something when the girls picked him up over their shoulders and threw him bodily into the pool. The spray of the water had come so close to Moka that she jumped back to avoid it and fell into the chair she was in moments before. Tamao leaned in on her so that they were nearly touching.

"Interesting, so the rumors are true. I wonder what would make you come this close?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Tsukune pop his head out from under the surface, gulping down as much air as his lungs could hold.

"Y'know I don't blame you...I myself have always had a soft spot for the average man too."

Tamao got out of her face and turned to the pool. She stopped at the edge of the pool, looking over at her she gave a small wink and dived head first. Moka sat as she watched her swim to Tsukune with strong, languid strokes that enticed not only her but several other male students. She decided that she wasn't leaving but if anything were to happen...

* * *

(10 minutes later)

"Ohh Tsukune..."

"Yeah?"

"Ohh that's perrrfect..."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, just like that. You have great form."

"Thanks I guess."

Moka chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched Tamao moving his arm in a stroking motion however the way that she heard her talking it sounded nothing like that. She tapped her nails on the table watching the both of them swimming together. Others were watching them the men staring at Tsukune with envious eyes and the girls staring at their sempai with similar eyes. Staring at them with great intensity as she wrapped her body around his as she was 'teaching' him to swim. To anybody who eyes were not clouded with envy they could see that Tsukune was putting up a fight to get away from her but unfortunately Moka's eyes were absolutely green in a matter of speaking.

"That's IT!"

The sound of her banging her fist on the table and the sudden outburst was enough to not only grab Tsukune's attention but everybody else as well. Enraged, she tore into Tsukune with a verbal beating.

"I will not stay here and watch you swim around with these girls which you obviously just wanted to ogle at in the first place! I'm leaving!"

As she walked away she could hear the sounds of frantic splashing coming closer to her.

"Moka-san wait that's not true! I wanted too ogle you not them!"

_**'ooohhhh...bad move, kid. Seriously bad move.'**_

Her face was a combination of disgust and shock.

"Ugh! Well it's nice to know how you view this relationship!"

"Wait that's not what I meant to say what I meant was-"

"Please be quite the both of you."

Tamao wrapped her arms around Tsukune while staring up at her with a coy smile.

"You may be able to visit when ever you want but do not fight in front of the other members, it's so unsightly."

She released him from her grip and swam up to the edge.

"You children have no idea about love. In this world you either have your heart snatched away or vice-versa."

_**'Hehehe...snatch.'**_

"So why don't you just-"

Her hand smacked the water, spraying it all over Moka.

"-leave."

Moka grabbed herself and ran from the scene. Tamao was giggling behind her hand as she watched her run away. Tsukune watched her running wondering what it was that just happened.

* * *

(Girls gymnasium- outside)

Moka finally stopped at the back of the gymnasium and slowly slid down against the wall. Arms wrapped around herself, shivering intensely.

_**'Baka! Of course this would happen when you come in contact with water. Why would you go anywhere near a pool?'**_

"Tsu-Tsukune..."

_**'I inhabit this body too. Do not be swayed by the likes of him.'**_

Sniffling, she curled up in a ball. Quietly she spoke something that would have been inaudible to anyone if they were present.

_**'What was that?'**_

"I said no! I'm weird and I hate this body...I wanted to swim with Tsukune too."

_**'…'**_

* * *

(Pool)

Tsukune stood at the shallow end of the pool gazing at the others who were still playing with each other. He would have been alone with his thoughts but for a month now that was no longer an option.

_**'Snatch! Get it? It's ironic that this new chick said that...because it's a double entendre.'**_

_'What was up with Moka-san? Why did she freak out like that when she was splashed?'_

_**'I dunno, maybe she's on the rag.'**_

"...DUDE!"

People turned to look at him from his sudden outburst. Smiling nervously, he swam to the other side of the pool where there was less prying eyes.

_'That was the most offensive thing I've heard!'_

_**'What? According to your species it's a beautiful and natural thing.'**_

_'Not that! The fact that you would insult Moka-san so blatantly! I don't care what you say about me but I won't let you insult her or anyone I care about! I don't care if you do that mind freeze thing on me but if you ever say anything__like that I'll-'_

_**'Snatch.'**_

_'Don't interrupt me! Like I said if you say anything like that I'll-'_

_**'Snatch.'**_

_'Stop it! It wasn't funny the first time!'_

_**'No I mean Snatch.'**_

Tsukune raised his eyebrows unable to understand what it was implying.

"YAHOOHOOOO!"

A pair of strong legs wrapped themselves tightly around his head. The sudden weight mixed with the surprise knocked him off balance. Falling backwards he felt the back of his head smacking against the water leaving him slightly dazed.

_**'I told you.'**_

Thankfully the daze was only momentary. He resurfaced only to find that something was impeding his vision.

"Tsukune-kun, I applaud your enthusiasm but don't you think it's a little 'crowded' here?"

He recognized the voice belonging to Kurumu. He reached up to pull of a piece of yellow fabric off of him. She saw that she had on a bikini that was the same color as the fabric. Quickly he recognized it as her bottoms and tossed them back at her. She caught them and brought them below the surface to retie them back on. After that was done she tried to swim up to him in a seductive manner.

"What a coincidence that we would find each other here. It was almost like it was meant to be."

She tried to wrap herself around him but he kept just enough distance between them. He really wasn't in the mood to have someone hanging on him. Kurumu pouted as she continued to chase him at a slow, sensuous pace.

"Tsukune-kun! How can we get to know each other better if you keep moving?"

Tsukune watched her as she was readying to pounce on him when suddenly a group of boys pushed their way in between them.

"KURUMU-CHAN SWIM WITH ME!"

"NO ME!"

Being surrounded by the testosterone-fueled mob Kururmu could no longer see the object of her affection. Said object was on his way to the ladder ready to leave. He managed to climb a few steps when he felt a pair of powerful hands grip him by the back of his shorts.

"Don't leave Tsukune-kun now that Akashiya-san is gone."

He turned around to see Tamao gripping him. All he did was shake his head at her and began climbing once more. He would have left if it wasn't for a vicious tug that pulled him back into the water. As soon as he hit it he felt an arm snake across his chest.

"Your not going anywhere Tsukune-kun, not when the real fun is about to start!"

He tried to yell out but she held her arm underneath his chin forcing his mouth shut. To everybody else it simply looked like she was holding onto like she was all morning. If anybody had looked closely they would see his eyes screaming for help. He watched everyone going on like nothing was happening . As he scanned the area he noticed two students by themselves, one on his back and another trying to shake him awake.

"Hey man...y'ok?"

He continued to try and raise the student when he was violently dragged under the water by some invisible force. Tsukune's eyes widened in terror after witnessing all of this. Hot breath tickled his ears as she spoke to him in a hushed tone.

"Don't think badly of us Tsukune-kun. Luring men into the water and feasting on their life force...it's our natural way of life."

All hell had broken loose. All of the female members of the swim club were chasing after the male members. They tried to scramble out of the pool but most of them were dragged under the water to only resurface wrinkled and sporting gray hair. Cries of anguish rang throughout the pool area as people rushed to escape.

"TSUKUNE-KUN!"

Kurumu was running along the side of the pool towards him. She tried to dive in to save him but was smacked away by a large, fish tail.

"Mermaids! They're mermaids!"

_**'I knew something smelled fishy.'**_

He tried to struggle out of her grip but was further restrained when both of his arms were pulled back by two other members. A shriveled hand shot out from the water to grab him. One of the students who were attacked was hanging on him with what little life he had left.

"...Help...mee."

Tamao shoved the student off him nonchalantly. Tsukune watched the student floating away on his back, wheezing pitifully.

"Not to worry Tsukune-kun that wont happen to you...you're special."

He could feel her craning over his shoulder.

"You have such an enticing scent like that of a human's..."

Blood pumping through his veins he could feel his heart beating against his chest.

_'She found out?'_

"I've dreamed of this moment for a long time."

The sound of cracking bones and stretching sinew alarmed him. Turning over to his left he saw something that nearly made scream. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, mouth open way pass humanly possible revealing several rows of small shark-like teeth.

"OF WHEN I WOULD DEVOUR YOU!"

He felt her tighten around his chest. If it was even possible she extended her jaw even further. At the moment he was going to yell for help, out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure running towards them.

"MOKA-SAN!"

Tamao stopped her attempt to eat him and spun around to see Moka charging at them. She jumped into the air and performed a perfect swan dive straight into the water. Stygian lightning spewed forth from the impact site almost instantaneously for several moments than nothing. Tsukune watched the ripples in the water dissipate into nothing. Tamao's shrill laughter echoed in his ears as he waited for her to resurface.

"Tsukune-kun!"

He turned his head back to see Kurumu had gotten back up. Limping slightly she pointed to where Moka had just dived into.

"You have to save her! Water is lethal to vampires if you don't get her in time she'll drown!"

_'Drown?'_

The bubbles issuing from Moka slowly reduced in numbers acting like grains of sand in an hourglass. Tsukune began struggling in a panic however the grip that all three girls had on him was to much. Transfixed on the bubbles his struggle became more frantic with each second that passed.

"MOKA-SAAANN!"

As the last bubble popped he lost all hope. The harpy-like laughter from all three members pierced his ear drums. He stopped struggling allowing a numbing coldness envelope him whole.

_**'For fuck's sake. I gotta do everything don't I?'**_

Violent spasms raked through his whole being in almost a seizure-like manner. Once again he felt all communication with his limbs stop but unlike before he still retained all other bodily functions. He felt his arms move with a life of their own. They pulled themselves to the front of his body, dragging the two girls along until they crashed into each. He could feel every follicle of their hair as his hands grabbed the back of their heads and smashed them against each other. With his phantom arms now free his left elbow thrust itself back and connected with Tamao. As soon as she released him from her grasp he lifted her over his shoulders watching her skip along the surface like a stone. Quickly he dove after Moka not wanting to know about what had just happened to him.

She laid on the bottom of the pool, lifeless with only the tiniest of air bubbles issuing from her mouth. He delivered powerful strokes and kicks propelled him forward. Beside the whole life sucking thing Tamao was a pretty good teacher. With every extension of his arm he could feel an all to familiar stretching in his muscles and every kick was followed by the sensation of bone growing at an alarming rate. By the time he reached the floor he was nearly unrecognizable. One side of his body was swollen to nearly gigantic proportions so much so that he couldn't move either leg or arm on that side. He tried to scream but his lungs quickly filled with water which was forcible ejected out. He reached for the rosary on her neck but just as he was about to wrap his fingers around it they bent themselves backwards to the point of snapping.

Falling to his knees he was right on top of her. Her face was calm, serene almost like she was sleeping. Time was ticking away and he didn't know what to do. He had to remove the rosary around her neck but how? An idea hit him but it was difficult to say the least however now was not the time for him to be picky. He lowered his face into her chest and bit down on the rosary. He pulled as hard as he could, still feeling the effects of the change happening to his own body. Finally the sound of the chain breaking reverberated through the water. Moments later her eyes flipped open blood red. She placed both of her feet on his stomach and pushed him off of her. He flew straight out of the water and slammed onto the concrete. He felt himself shrinking but still held onto the rosary in his mouth, muffling his screams. The change was quicker this time, instead of tens of minutes it was less than two minutes and the pain was not nearly as bad this time.

Kurumu quickly came to him and propped him up. They both watched as the water in the pool parted to reveal Moka in all of her fury. Her wet clothes clung to her body as she locked eyes with the entire swim club.

"**How dare you treat me like that you ignorant fish!"**

The entire club launched themselves after her with eyes filled with malice. Two of them jumped ahead of the rest. Moka's icy glare was enough to give these two pause which was enough time for her to whip her long lustrous hair with enough force to send them back. While those two were out of commission the other members took a more tactical approach with her. They quickly surrounded themselves around Moka torpedoing themselves at her. She did her best to dodge their attacks but several of them clipped her.

"HA! In the water we are invincible!"

They charged after her with their all but missed as Moka soared above them. Immediately They followed her lead, jumping high into the air like a school of demonic salmons. Leading them was Tamao screeching out.

"YOU WILL DIE AKASHIYA-SAN!"

she grinned evilly, cocked back her fist and cried out.

"Know your place!"

She delivered a full body hook that sunk deeply into Tamao's cheek. With this one punch she was rocketed towards her own group of students. She knocked out most of them and Moka took out the stragglers with a flash of kicks. They fell from the sky like dead flies, plopping into the water. Moka landed on the ground while Tsukune wobbled to his feet with Kurumu's help. He looked up to see a hand come down. The sound of flesh on flesh was heard followed by the sound of metal skidding on concrete. The force of the slap nearly dis-located his jaw. He turned up to see her reached back once more and swing. Tsukune braced himself for the hit that never came but instead she held out her finger, glaring at him with anger flashing in those crimson eyes.

"**She cried."**

That's all she said but it hurt more than anything she could do physically to him. She strutted angrily out of the pool area not even breaking her stride when she scooped up her rosary from the ground. Tsukune took a few tentative steps toward her.

"M-Moka-san..."

She whipped around to face him.

"**Don't you come near me! Someone as selfish as you has no right to even speak to me. I never want to see you again!"**

He froze on the spot as she walked away from him.

_'She...she's right...it's my fault.'_

_**'She will leave you and you will blame yourself.'**_

* * *

(3 days later)

It had been three days since the swim club fiasco and since he last saw Moka. She hadn't even shown up for classes. More rumors about him came out from this event. Some say that he and Moka saved everybody from becoming food while others say it was his fault that nearly everybody almost died however both rumors agreed on one thing; the people who suffered the greatest injury were the two girls restraining him. They were admitted into the infirmary with matching bone fractures across their faces and minor brain damage. Tsukune tried to visit them but the nurse flat-out refused to let him near them.

_'It's not fair. Moka hates me now and everybody blames me for something that I didn't even do.'_

_**'What are you talking about? You most definitely cracked their pretty little heads open.'**_

He shook his head violently in denial.

"No that was you, not me. You took over me like before and-"

_**'Whoa kiddo, despite what you might think I do operate on a set of rules admittedly not many...in fact only two. The first rule I have is the most important one; I cannot overthrow one's freewill, only enforce it.'**_

"Whats the second?"

_**'That one won't apply to us. It's only for...special circumstances.'**_

"Fine don't tell me I don't care because you didn't enforce my will. I didn't want to hurt anyone."

_**'On the contrary you wanted to save that girl right?'**_

"Of course!"

_**'That's right and you were willing to do anything to do that.'**_

"Yeah but I didn't want to hurt-"

_**'If that was true than I wouldn't of been able to hurt them. Trust me if it was up too me I would have killed everybody in that pool and drained them of all body fluids. You wanted to hurt them, deep down...and liked it!'**_

Tsukune said nothing because there was nothing to say. What it had said to him made sense. In a sick, twisted, demented way it made perfect sense. He reran the conversation between him and the thing to try a find some small flaw in it's argument but to his horror he couldn't find one. He looked up to the ceiling to find that instead of florescent lighting he saw blue sky and clouds. He studied his surroundings to see a chain-link fence surrounding a pool right across from him. He was back to where it all went down hill. Why did his feet bring him back here?

"Tsukune-san what are you doing?"

He looked over to see Nekonome sunbathing while eating a popsicle.

"Oh...Nekonome-sensei I didn't see you there. I guess I'm just thinking."

She just nodded.

"Well that's good but have you decided on what club you want to join? If not you can join the newspaper club...no one has joined so it might be shut down."

Tsukune let out a tired sigh. At this point he didn't care anymore.

"TSUKUNE!"

He perked up at the sound of the voice. He turned to see Moka jumping at him than sinking her teeth into the crook of his neck. He felt her suck down on him but instead of feeling the loss of blood he was filled with overwhelming joy. Soon she released him and let out a massive yawn.

"Sorry about missing school for the past few days...I kinda overslept."

Tsukune didn't care about the why, he was just glad to see her standing in front of him. Moka turned her attention to Nekonome sensei.

"Is Tsukune joining? If so is their any room left for me?"

Nekonome jump for joy at the knowledge of having two new and first members of her club. Tsukune was more than happy at this moment so much so that he forgot about the thing and everything else.

"WAIT I'M JOINING TOO!"

They watched as Kurumu came running down the path that led to the school. She tackled him to the ground and proclaimed that where ever he went she would be there by his side. Moka tried to get her off of him while Kurumu hugged him tighter and Nekonome jumped up and down with joy. Though all this was happening he couldn't help but to think.

_'You were wrong...she came back.'_

_**'Give it time boy. You'll see the light soon enough.'**_

* * *

(A/N)

Here is the newest chapter. Thanks to all of those who reviewed I truly appreciate them. Also I'm looking for someone to help me with my grammar which I know isn't the greatest.

P.S. To Wings and Master chief all I can say is good eye. I decided to go with the newer version than the original.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	4. A Witch's Sabbath

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario Vampire.

_A mask of gold hides all deformities_

_Thomas Dekker_

A Witch's Sabbath

A cool breeze traveled through the grounds of the academy, causing the spines of several students to shiver. A large group of students gathered around a poster board. It was the end of the week and as promised by the homeroom teachers the rankings for the semester's quarterly exam were up.

"Aww crap! I'm 156."

"That's nothing...I'm 202."

"Ha! I ranked 74!"

Everybody scrambled over each other trying to find their names. Some came to regret this while others were happier that they did. The left side of the board was breathing easier or celebrating in their own small way while the right side was either sighing or weeping. Smack dab in the middle of this was Tsukune himself.

_**'Damn you suck.'**_

Tsukune let out a monstrous yawn that racked his whole body.

_'Maybe if I got some sleep I would've gotten a better grade.'_

_**'Yeah and maybe if you had a pair you wouldn't be such a whiny bitch.'**_

He decided against arguing with it as he fought against the urge to yawn once more. Out of 256 freshmen students he had ranked 128th, right in the middle. While it technically wasn't failing it definitely wasn't a grade to be proud of. A group of people rushed past him as they made way to the front of the poster board. Tsukune already knew where they were going. Moka had ranked 13th near the very top of the charts. Many of the male student body and some of the female students praised her for her accomplishments.

_'She's absolutely perfect.'_

_**'Really? I can't see from all the way back here.'**_

Once again he fought back an urge to yawn as he decided against fighting it once more. Nearly a month and a half of near sleep was beginning to take it's toll on him. His body was ragged, normal everyday activities required more energy than usual causing more strain on his body. He also noticed that his mind was wandering more frequently. Though he would never admit it he was starting to fear sleep.

Every night it was the same thing; a pitch black dream, the smell of corpses, and the hollow laugh. It began to speak to him once.

_**'Forget that girl. She's way smarter than you are and it's never good for one person in a relationship to be that much smarter than the other. She won't respect you.'**_

_'She does too respect me.'_

_**'Than she's broken goods.'**_

It's words hung in the air with great heaviness. Moka had told him about her life in Jr. High and how she never had a friend. She had told him that she never had a friend because they didn't believe she was a vampire but in all honesty he believed that it was because she was intimidating. Moka had looks, talent, brains and a great personality. That could be more intimidating for a man than any kind of brute force. However she believed it was because they wanted to ostracize her. A great weight on his shoulders made itself present and he didn't like it. The mask was always saying things, whispering dark thoughts to him. As much as he wished it was lying, it hasn't yet. He just wanted to sleep, so much so that he could feel a pair of soft pillows wrap around his neck and head. He could feel himself being lulled into a deep sense of sleep when...

"Congratulations on passing Tsukune-kun!"

The voice belong to Kurumu who knocked him out from this sense of on coming sleep into the land of the conscious. He finally noticed that what he thought was a psychological weight was her and the soft pillows were HER soft pillows. As she clung onto his body he could feel waves of burning hate emanating from the crowd of male students standing behind him. He had too admit that he liked that she was so affectionate but he wished that she wasn't so openly affectionate.

"Your so smart Tsukune-kun, I ranked 134th."

He heard a dark chuckle echo through his head.

_**'Ohh Your so smart teehee! This girl is more your speed. She clearly has low standards when it comes to men, dumber than you if that was even possible and still manages to be out of your league. She's perfect for you.'**_

_'Just because Kurumu-san isn't book smart does not mean she is dumb! Do not insult my friends!'_

_**'Fine I'll lay off the insults on your so called 'friends'. Don't get your panties in a bunch.'**_

He felt Kurumu jump off his back. She stood in front of him tracing patterns on his chest.

"Maybe we could have a study group together?"

He could sense her true intentions from a mile away. The hate from the group behind him intensified greatly. She began to close the gap between them slowly. He could see her lips quiver slightly as the sun's light bounced off her red lips. Just as she was about to close in Moka popped in between them.

"That's a great idea Kurumu-san!"

Kurumu jumped back holding her hands behind their back while looking up in the sky and Tsukune whistled an innocent tune.

* * *

(Poster board-Back)

The group of students had decided that they have had enough of watching Tsukune and went back to find their rankings. All but three boys left. The tallest was nearly six feet tall and had a lanky build about him. His thick glasses were covered by greasy, black locks of hair. The boy next to him was the complete opposite; Short, overweight, had tan hair in a crew-cut but had perfect vision. The final boy however looked as though he didn't belong. He had fair features about him like that of a farm boy's along with a matching set of blue eyes and wavy brown hair. They watched with envious eyes as Moka and Kurumu were chatting with Tsukune. Finally the short one could not take it any longer and spoke out in anger.

"Bah! Look at that jerk acting like he owns the place..."

He fell to his knees and began sobbed openly.

"Why? Why would my sweet Kurumu-chan fall for him?"

Trying to comfort him, the tall one knelt down beside him and patted him on the back.

"There there Gouzaburou-san...it'll..it'll be..."

He too fell to his knees sobbing uncontrollably. Those who were passing them by watched with pity and decided to distance themselves from them. The only person who stood by them was the fair-haired one. He stood confidently in front of them with a smirk on his face.

"Gouzaburou, Kubisaku-san relax. We no longer have to worry about Aono anymore."

They both grabbed onto his leg like a couple of loyal hounds, staring at their master with admiration in their eyes.

"Tell us Kasashara-san!"

Once more he had a confident smirk on him and pointed at Tsukune.

"We're going to take him down a peg. We are going to ruin him socially and mentally. After we're done with him nobody will fear him anymore and neither Moka or Kurumu-san wouldn't want to be caught dead with him."

Both boys jumped to his side with fists raised up. For several minutes they held themselves up on high but soon came down from that collaborative high. The tall one turned to their fearless leader to ask a discerning question.

"How? We can't compete with him physically. He'll most likely rip us apart."

Kasashara's features faltered slightly but quickly regained his composure.

"Don't worry about that. While it's true that up close we would most likely lose but from afar..."

* * *

(Poster board-Front)

Both Moka and Kurumu were making plans about the study group. Kurumu was trying to decide on what kind of bake goods she should bring while Moka was trying to find out what subject they would be tested on next. Tsukune stood idly by as they both got into an argument on which was more important. He noticed that they would get into arguments about almost everything. The only thing they did agree on was that the study group would meet in his dorm room.

"Don't I have a say in-"

_**'Duck'**_

Instinctively he pulled his head down too feel something whiz by. He looked up to try and find what and who threw something at him.

"OW!"

Whatever it was that was thrown had finally found a target but not it's intended one. It had hit the head of an extremely large and mean looking student. Tsukune noticed that he had a red armband on his left arm. These bands were given to class representatives as a symbol of their authority. By his side were two other students trying to see if he was alright. In front of him was a small child who seemed to be laughing at him. Hearing the child laughing must have angered him because to Tsukune it seemed like he was getting ready to lash out at her.

"Somebody should do something huh Moka-san...Moka-san?"

After no response he saw that Moka was no longer beside him. Turning in circles he could no longer see her. He was starting to wonder if she had somehow disappeared when he could hear more noise coming from the scene ahead.

"Please stop!"

Moka had inserted herself between the gang and the cackling child, effectively stopping them. Throughout the crowd murmurs of Moka's bravery could be heard along with a few cheap shots at Tsukune's expense. She stared them down intensely while showing no intention on moving.

"I do not condone the use of violence towards girls. Please leave."

The class representative stood there with an angry glare and looked like he was about to hit her. He was about to lift back his hand when he could feel the gaze of 253 pairs of eyes on him. Deciding against whatever it was he was thinking of doing. Instead he spat at the ground and pointed to the girl.

"This isn't over Yukari."

They soon melded into the crowd, no longer able to be seen. After a while the crowd returned back to the poster board. Tsukune and Kurumu ran up to Moka and the child who was sticking her tongue out. The girl in question couldn't have been more than eleven years old. She had the normal school uniform on along with a few accoutrements. A black cape along with a witch's hat and held a pink wand in her hands. Moka placed her hand on the girls shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Are you Ok? Did they hurt you?"

The girl had stars in her eyes as she fumbled with her wand trying to place it back behind her cape.

"Oh Moka-san! I'm fine thanks all to you!"

Moka was a little taken back.

"H-How..do you know my name?"

The girl had a creepy smile on her face.

"I know a lot about you Moka-san; favorite foods, color, study habits. I've watched from afar waiting for the right moment to say..."

The girl launched herself at Moka's midriff, grabbing tightly.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Tsukune and Kurumu watched with raised eyebrows as the girl tightened her grip on Moka. Tsukune bent over and extended his hand out to the girl.

"Well it's seems we've made a new friend. Hi my name's-"

"I know who you are-Desu!"

Tsukune withdrew his hand when this child snapped at him. She looked at him with disdain and clearly tightened her grip around Moka's waist.

"Your Aono Tsukune. You have no hobbies, average intelligence and an excessively violent streak about you. Just like a human."

Moka gasped as this girl continued to insult Tsukune who was just shocked by this. Here was this girl who didn't even know him yet she was spouting out statistics about him. She had on a smug expression as she continued to insult him.

"You being with my Moka-san is like the moon and a snapping turtle, you just don't mix."

Tsukune eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"Your Moka-san? She doesn't belong to anyone and it's not very nice calling her a snapping turtle."

"Baka! You're the turtle and she's the moon!"

He mouthed out 'oh' as if he just understood what she had just said.

_**'Don't beat yourself up I made that mistake too. You are as pasty as the moon.'**_

The girl whipped out her wand and poked him in the stomach. She still managed to hang onto Moka with one arm while raising her wand to it his nose and locked eyes with him.

"I will not let the likes of you taint the purity of my Moka-san. I, Sendou Yukari declare war on you-Desu!"

At this point the girl, Yukari, was starting to annoy him. She was acting like a brat treating him like a creep and talking about Moka like she was some sort of possession. It drove him to the point that he actually snapped back at her.

"Now listen! You can't treat Moka-san or me like this! What gives you the right that to do this to either of us?"

Yukari gave him a sly smile like that of someone who had several aces their sleeve.

"I can do whatever I want because I'm smarter than you."

She pulled Moka away from them with a confident stride. Moka looked back at them with confused and worried expression on her face. Tsukune watched them leave with a mounting anger rising up inside him. His fist tightened to the point of his knuckles cracked and bared his teeth.

"She thinks she could do this because she's smarter than me?"

He felt Kurumu tugging on his shoulder trying to get his attention.

"I can't believe she believes that she can treat people like that, it's just not right!"

"Tsukune-kun."

"She maybe smarter than me but there is no way she could possibly be that much smarter!"

"Tsukune!"

Kurumu had finally managed to get his attention. He turned to her to see that she was pointing at the poster board. At the very top Tsukune saw a single name that stood out for him. Sendou Yukari: 1st out of 256.

* * *

(Hallway)

Tsukune was currently on the search for Moka but was having absolutely no luck. Every time he came close to finding her Yukari would whisk her away once more. It was a game of cat and mouse and he was getting tired of it. Kurumu was following him but he could tell that she really didn't have her heart set on finding Moka like he did. In fact a few times she had gone the opposite way just to get a bit more time with him.

"Tsukune-kun look! she down there."

Tsukune held a skeptic look.

"Is she really?

She had shameful blush on her face while pointing down an empty hallway.

"S-She could be..."

He flung his arms in the air, letting out an aggravated groan. He was getting irritated real fast and was trying all that he could to hide it. He was never like this before. Usually he was a easy-going kinda guy who might sometimes be known to enter into a panic but rarely did he become angry over something like this. He was changing and didn't like it. Kurumu backed up a little wondering whether he was angry at her.

"Gomen Tsukune-kun...please don't be angry with me."

He looked up into her eyes showing his exhaustion for the first time since he had arrived.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at the situation."

He started walking away from her ready to resume his search for Moka. What he said was true but that to him was no excuse for what he did to Kurumu. She thought he was angry at her when he wasn't...he had no right to snap at her. He was about to turn a corner when he could swear that he heard Moka's voice whispering in his ear.

* * *

(Hallway-Corner)

Crouched down on all fours were the three boys from before. They watched the whole scene unfold before them. They were awaiting for him to turn the corner. They had managed to tie an extremely thin piece of steel string on a wooden pillar across from them. After the rock incident they had decided to go with something a bit more tricky.

"Tell me what are we doing again Kasashara-san?"

"Easy my friends, we're here to trip our foe Aono in front of everybody."

Gouzaburou stared at Kasashara with disappointment.

"Trip him? Doesn't that seem a little..weak? I don't think that would do anything."

Kasashara chuckled lightly as if he had said something childish.

"If there is no one around to witness this than yes but these halls will be filled with students and nothing is more embarrassing than tripping over your own two feet!"

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the halls. Quickly they regained their composure and pulled on the string. The footsteps became louder and louder in which they pulled harder on the string. Finally a 'TWANG' was heard and the string vibrated slightly as the victim fell to the ground hard. All three of the boys jumped out and yelled 'AHA'.

* * *

(Hallway)

Tsukune had noticed both Moka and Yukari were standing at the opposite end of the hallway. He and Kurumu ran after them not even stopping when the sound of slaps rang out and a girl screaming the word 'Bakas'. They managed to catch up with Moka before Yukari had time to notice them.

"Moka-san!"

Moka smiled happily when Tsukune finally managed to reach her. Yukari's eyes widened when she finally noticed that he was there. She attempted to steer Moka away from him but Kurumu blocked her way, waggling her finger like a mother scolding a naughty child. Yukari swiveled her head around trying to find a way out. Moka attempted to make her way to him but Yukari held her back. She hung onto her possessively as she watched the both of them, in her mind swarm in on Moka. As he came in closer she whipped out her wand and brandished it about.

"Stop right there Aono-san! Don't come any closer."

She tried to stab him with her wand but he uncharacteristically swiped at it. This surprised everyone but Yukari. She grinned as if she had just won something coveted by many.

"See I knew you were nothing but a violent thug. Now I finally have an excuse to teach you a lesson."

Speaking in a language that he had never heard of, she once again began brandishing her wand but with a bit more precision. This went on for a few seconds than stopped as abruptly as she began. They stood there for a few moments waiting for something to happen. Tsukune was about to open his mouth when a loud clanging of metal against stone was heard. In the corner of his eye he saw a utility locker jumping up and down all on it's own. The door burst open suddenly revealing a maelstrom of cleaning supplies and implements shoot themselves across the room.

Tsukune quickly put up his guard, hiding his face from the various mops, brooms, buckets and dust pans. The jabs of the wooden handles was felt all over his back and stomach. The metal buckets were whacking themselves across the back of his head while the dust pans slammed against the top. No matter how hard he was hit he didn't make a single noise. All at once they stopped their beating on his body. He kept his arms up for a moment than decided that she must have been done. He peeked through his fingers to see a spray nozzle. A burning sensation ran through his eye as disinfectant was spritzed all over it. For a second he dropped his guard only too witness a broom handle swing itself across his face. An explosion of wooden splinters flew through the air showering all for of them with the woody projectiles. Ironically they all flinched except for Tsukune himself. To be honest he was so preoccupied with the pain in his eye that if it wasn't for the sound of the handle snapping he never would've known.

"Tsukune-kun!"

Kurumu immediately left her post to help Tsukune up. She lifted him up by his arm while he rubbed his eye with a fury. His face was covered with splinters. Moka tried to get away from Yukari but she still had a tight grip on her. Cackling victoriously Yukari watched them shuffle away to seek medical attention for Tsukune.

* * *

(Infirmary)

Tsukune was propped up on one of the beds in the nurses office. She had let him in this time. The two swim club members were transferred to the medical building due to the fact that they had to take medication for migraines. Kurumu held a pair of tweezers carefully picking out the splinters from his face. Honestly she was impressed by his tolerance for pain, he must have been tougher than he let off. Tsukune had a damp washcloth his eye trying to flush out the disinfectant. It was strange having watched that broom crack itself on him and yet feel nothing. Already bruises were forming from the jabs and the whacks from all those metal buckets and pans but nothing from the handle. Right now as Kurumu picked the splinters from him he didn't feel a thing.

"Oh Tsukune-kun, you Ok?"

Kurumu finally finished removed all wooden splinters. She caressed his cheek in a loving manner. He was happy that he could at least feel the warmth of her hand. Her hand traveled down to his chest pushing him down onto the mattress. His eyes widened as she put his head on the pillow. Kurumu was bold but never this bold.

"K-K-Kurumu-san? What are you-"

She placed her finger over his lips, effectively quieting him. She calmly reached down to pull a blanket over him. He felt her hands as she attempted to tuck the blanket underneath him in an almost motherly fashion.

"Kurumu-san? Why are you doing this?"

Petting his hair affectionately she replied.

"Tsukune-kun I know you must be tired...I remembered how you looked before, you haven't been sleeping have you?"

He wanted too deny it but was betrayed by his own body when a yawn erupted forth from his mouth. Kurumu 'Hm-Hm'ed knowingly and decided to take action. She leaped onto the bed, straddling him like she did once before. Her eyes connected with his, staring deeply into them. Tsukune's eyelids started drooping. He tried fighting but it was no use. His eyelids fell as if they were made of lead and immediately hit a deep rem sleep. Just like all the times before when he fell asleep the dream started up once again.

_Darkness overwhelmed him once more. The screams of people filled his ears along with the rank odor of burning bodies. He wanted to wake up but his body wouldn't let him. It knew he needed the sleep and now that he was getting some it wouldn't let him wake. Among the screaming he heard the faint sound of drums in the background. This was new to him, never had the dream gone this far. The sound of drums soon overpowered the sound of screams. They drummed in some strange jungle beat that droned on and on. Soon they were followed by an ominous chant._

"_**Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fthagn! Lo! Lo! Shub-nighurath! Gorgo, Mormo!"**_

_It must have been dozens of people chanting this over and over in unison. For the first time he tried moving but to his disappointment nothing happened. The drums began beat louder and louder while the chanting became frantic. His breathing turned erratic as he tried to move in the darkness. He stopped when he heard footsteps on stone. Whomever the footsteps belong to they were standing in front of him. Tsukune waited for whoever it was to make their move. The person knocked on what he could only assume was stone. Soon the sound of grinding filled the apparently tiny area that Tsukune was occupying. Light penetrated the dark corner he was tucked into. The bombardment of light nearly blinded him. He wanted to raise his hands up to protect his eyes but his body still wouldn't listen. The dark silhouette of a man stepped foreword, blocking the light from further damaging his eyes. He couldn't see his face but the way he stood told him that he must have been older. The only thing he could see clearly was his tall, white hair. The man reached out with a gnarled hand and spoke in an aged, raspy voice._

"_At last!"_

Tsukune bolted from the bed covered in a cold sweat. His chest puffed in and out as he gulped down fresh air after awaking from that nightmare. The new details were burned into mind as if by a firebrand. It felt real, always felt real but this was different. These no longer felt like dreams but rather memories, from some distant past before his time. Deciding that he needed a glass of water he was about to get out of the bed when he could feel someone's arm tighten around his waist. He looked down to see Kurumu laying down next to him, sleeping peacefully. Her face was calm and at peace with the world. For some unknown reason he looked under the covers to check to see if his belt or pants were tampered with but everything seem to check out. He turned back to Kurumu watching her smiling which honestly made him smile.

He continued to watch her sleep when something hard smacked itself to the side of his head. His body was so forcefully thrown onto the bed that Kurumu actually bounced off and fell hard onto the floor. She rapidly rebounded after being unceremoniously knocked out of her heavenly dreamland. She saw Tsukune laying on the bed, dazed. Quickly she jumped onto the bed and tried to shake him awake. Incredibly his hand reached up and grabbed her breast with an near iron-like grip. Kurumu yelped with surprise as he continued to fondle her in his near-comatose state.

"Tsu-Tsukune...please."

Her voice was weak with lust as his hand continued to massage her ample chest through her sweater. It came to the point where she started to grind herself against his body. Unfortunately for her this action was enough to bring Tsukune out of his unconscious state of mind. The first thing he saw was his own hand on her chest and immediately jumped out bed. Kurumu pouted as he left her while he stared at his hand who was massaging the air. The door was open, revealing Moka on the other side who happened to see the entire episode.

"Tsukune! What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know! My hand's moving on it's own an-OOF"

His hand was knuckle deep in his own stomach. After the gut-buster it rocketed up to connect with his chin. The force was so great that it actually propelled him upwards a few inches. Moka had managed to catch him before he fell to the ground. Once more his fist flew through the air towards his face. Instinctively he caught his own fist before it made contact. Both girls watched as he struggled around the room against himself. A mischievous cackle resounded through the small office which caught the girl's attention. Sitting in the windowsill was Yukari, swinging her legs and playing with a straw doll. She was bending it's arm repeatedly in a similar manner as Tsukune's own arm. Kurumu was the first to speak.

"That's a voodoo doll!"

Yukari stopped playing with the doll only to stick her tongue out at her.

"It's not a voodoo doll, boobs for brains, it's Warawara-kun! Completely different-Desu."

Yukari continued to play with the doll causing Tsukune to fight with his own self. Kurumu charged at her with the intent to snatch the doll away. Yukari, in a panic, tossed the doll. Just like Warawara-kun, Tsukune himself flew across the room and slammed into the wall. Yukari snickered as she watched him try to lift himself off the ground. She squealed with delight as he fell back down but stopped at once when she witnessed Moka helping him back up. When he finally got up on his own two feet he gave Yukari a scathing glare which she reciprocated with an evil stare. This was the last straw. Moka and Kurumu held him back as he tried to get at her. Noting that he wouldn't able to get her, he decided on pointing at her.

"STOP IT! THIS ISN'T FUNNY YOU BRAT!"

Moka let go a that point in shock.

"Tsukune!"

He turned to her with rage still in his eyes.

"You can't keep defending her Moka-san! She's a pest and if you don't stop it you'll end up alone again."

Moka looked down to the ground, unable to answer however Yukari decided to speak for her.

"Good! She's better off without you. I believe that it's better to be alone than to have such lowly friends."

She stuck her tongue out at them and jumped from the windowsill. Tsukune's gaze lingered at the windowsill for a moment. He turned around to see Moka with her arms crossed across her chest, giving him a disappointed glance.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Tsukune."

The sad, disapproving tone reminded him of his mother whenever he did something wrong. Arms still crossed she walked out of the room. Mouth agape he just stared at the door, he just couldn't win! He stood there in disbelief at the events that just unfurled. He was so engrossed in his own bafflement that he didn't even realize that Kurumu was talking.

"Huh?"

She turned at him with raised eyebrows.

"Hm?..Oh I was just saying no wonder they're known as the 'Hated race'."

"Who? Moka-san?"

She shook her head.

"No that Sendou Yukari. Witches are known as the 'Hated race' to some monsters."

Confusion was evident on his face. Why would monsters hate one of their own? A few seemed to dislike Moka because she was a vampire but that was different. They disliked her for her eloquence and power. This Yukari may have been annoying but to say that he hated her was a little extreme. She was only eleven. Kurumu placed on her chin, looking up as if she was trying to remember something.

"If I'm not mistaken humans used to hunt them. Something called 'The Salem trails' or something similar."

_**'I remember that, burning at the stake, lynching, crushing, stoning, loins rendered, drowning, limbs torn from the sockets of the living-OOH! The pear of anguish!...good times man."**_

"Yeah, most monsters think that witches are freaks of nature and shouldn't even be considered monsters. If you think about it she's probably been alone her entire life."

Tsukune listened to what she had said and took it to heart. Here Yukari was hated by both humans and monsters...the only thing he had going for him were monsters hating him. It was no wonder she thought that it was better to be alone. Moka understood that so naturally she was sympathetic with her. Slumping his shoulders he resigned to the fact that today he couldn't win. Tsukune quickly left the room, running after Moka.

* * *

(Hallway-2nd level)

Standing near the edge was Kasashara, Gouzaburou and Kubisaku were over looking the lower level of the hallway. On the railing was a bucket filled with a deep, crimson liquid that smelled suspiciously like blood. The bucket gleamed innocently in both the artificial and natural light but the three boys smiled darkly. Gouzaburou turned to his leader showing a dark, sadistic side of him that very few have ever witnessed.

"This is brilliant! How did you think this up?"

Kasashara turned to his portly friend showing that he too had a sadistic side.

"I saw it in a movie once. Boy, do those humans think of the best things. See once that Aono rat walks underneath us we drop the bucket on him and nobody will be afraid of him anymore! Then we swoop in and pick up the pieces."

He rubbed his hands together evilly and watched the halls more closely. Each one of them giggled and waited for Tsukune. After a few seconds Kubisaku stopped with his evil daydreams when an unfortunate thought entered his head.

"Wait...this movie that you saw, was it an older movie about this girl who went to a prom?"

Kasashara smiled enthusiastically.

"Yeah it was! You saw it too?"

"Uh-huh...didn't she kill every at the end?"

Kasashara's face was utterly expressionless.

"Shut up."

All of them stood there motionless, hiding in wait. Finally the object of their desire came bolting down the hallway. They all waited for the right moment and in unison they pushed the bucket off the rail. Watching with glee as the bucket traveled downward, coming closer and closer to it's intended target. The blood emptied out of the bucket and blanketed outwards covering up most of the hallway. All three did everything in their power to not squeal in delight. All watched as he ran underneath the 'hemo-blanket' so to say, ensuring that escape was impossible. Each one of them smiled wide readying themselves for what was about to happen.

Tsukune passed underneath it completely clean and turned a corner none the wiser. Everyone of the boys watched in disbelief only to snap out of it when the sound of the metal bucket dropped onto the marble floor. Blood covered the entire hallway and splattered on all of the walls. Kasashara let out a long heavy sigh.

"Come on...lets clean it up before anyone else sees this mess."

Each one of the boys reached for the nearest broom closet and pulled out their own mop for the huge clean up job they had to perform. They traversed their way down the stairs talking quietly amongst their selves. Gouzaburou and Kubisaku apologized profusely to their friend saying that they had no idea about how their calculations could have been off by that much. They reached the bottom of the stairs to see what kind of job they had ahead of them.

"Kasashara-san?

"Yeah?"

"Wheres...Where did it all go?"

* * *

(Outside)

Yukari was running from the windowsill she had jumped from. That jerk Aono had said some pretty horrible things to her. It got to her. Ever since she got to this academy everybody has looked down on her for either her age or race. The only person that didn't do that was Moka. She was perfect in all aspects and the only person between them was Tsukune and after what she saw...Moka wasn't willing to choose her over him. She was so wrapped in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the group of people in front of her until it was to late.

"OW! Watched were your going baka-Desu!"

She had fell to the ground, rubbing her forehead. She looked up to see the same group of students from this morning. The class representative gave her a small evil grin.

"That's not very nice Yukari-chan, after all it was you who bumped into us."

He bent over, coming closer to her. She backed up only to bump up against something or rather someones. The two others had managed to block off her escape route. She turned back to see the class representative staring her down. His eyes had become slitted and his teeth were sharpened immensly. A thin, forked tongue flicked itself across her cheek causing her skin to erupt with goosebumps.

"I think it's time somebody taught you to respect your elders."

The two behind her grabbed her shoulders, pushing her violently forward. They continued pushing and dragging her through the woods outside of the school grounds. The fog began to grow thicker as the went further into the woods. After awhile it seemed that they had reached their destination and threw her against a tree. She drew out her wand in a panic and began to chant. Just as she was about to finish a large scaly maw chomped down on her wand, effectively snapping it in half. Unable to comprehend what had just happened she looked up to see the groups true forms. All three of them were the same kind of monster: Lizardmen. Each one look like a cross between a bi-pedal iguana with crocodile smiles. The one on the left turned to the class representative.

"What should we do with her?"

The representative smiled wildly, exposing more teeth that made her comfortably with.

"Let's kill her. The fogs so thick that no one will see and were so deep in that nobody will here her scream."

Yukari tried to escape but the two subordinates blocked her path once more. The representative strutted up to her and grabbed her arm roughly. Her eyes welled with terror as she watched him extend his jaw open. Yukari couldn't help but think...she was going to die alone.

"STOP!"

Just as the voice demanded everybody stopped. All of them tried searching for the source but the fog was still too thick. Still searching the first person to find whoever it was that spoke was Yukari. In the mist a figure appeared, walking towards them as if on a mission. Her eyes sparkled ecstatically when she realized that it was Moka who came out from the mist.

"Aww damn it! Why can't you just let us be?"

She made her way towards Yukari, ignoring the others completely, showing compassion in her eyes. Yukari tried to warn Moka but was interrupted by her.

"I understand Yukari-chan, you've been alone your entire life with no one to talk too."

The group of lizard men stared at each other with matching quizzical expressions, wondering what the hell she was talking about. Yukari was also wondering about what she was doing but for other reasons. Moka continued to ignore them and make her way to Yukari.

"I've been alone most of my life too until I met Tsukune and Kurumu-san. They really are nice people if you give them the chance."

She had tears in her eyes at this point but what really drove her home was what Moka told her next.

"I could never leave you alone and neither would any of my friends."

Yukari couldn't take it anymore and nearly broke down with joy. However the group of Lizards didn't seem to share their sentiments. The class representative smashed Yukari back against the tree again while the others stood in Moka's way, effectively stopping her. The leader's jaws opened wide once more and lunged at Yukari. She shut her eyes tightly and screamed as loud as her lungs would let her. She cringed as she heard him coming after her. The sound of snapping jaws and the clashing teeth filled the air and the feeling of something warm splashed across her face. She had expected all of this but what she didn't anticipate was the lack of pain. She opened her eyes to see somebody standing in front of her.

"Tsukune-san!"

She smiled as he stood in front of her. After awhile she noticed that something wasn't quite right. He didn't say a word. His eyes were staring into space and his face was paling fast. Suddenly he fell to the ground hard and Yukari found the root cause of his erratic behavior. One side of his body was not only caked with blood but was missing an arm. From the elbow down his arm was gone. She covered her mouth in horror when she something that tasted like copper filled her mouth. She tore her hands away from her body to see that they were stained red. The sounds of flesh rendering was heard as she watched the group fight over his arm, gnawing on it like a group of starved jackles. Tsukune crawled pathetically to a tree, leaving a trail of blood along the ground. He reached the base of the tree and shivered uncontrollably. Moka managed to get passed the lizardmen who were still occupying themselves with Tsukune's arm. She sat next to him unable to do anything except stare in terror. Yukari watched as Moka petted him and Tsukune reaching out to her.

"Ts-Tsukune...don't do this...to me!"

With his only hand he grabbed her rosary around her neck and pulled it off. A ray of purple light filled the area and Moka began her transformation once again.. This sudden surge of demonic energy caught the attention of everybody except Tsukune who was clutching her rosary close to his chest. Moka opened her eyes revealing their crimson color to all. She looked down to see her school uniform wet with blood and Tsukune who started to convulse. Yukari ran to them and tried to hold onto him. Moka stood up and glared at the group of lizardmen with disdain.

"**You did this?"**

Two out of the three members charged themselves at her but was easily batted away with a few simple kicks. The class representative started to back off after witnessing this power. Moka walked towards him calmly but her intentions were obvious. He tried to get away but was immediately stopped when her foot connected with his kneecap causing a loud crunching noise to be heard. He fell down hard. From his point of view she stood tall, towering over him.

"Please! It wasn't me!"

She glared at him with disgust. Raising her hand to her mouth she pointed to her lips.

"**You have a little something stuck in your teeth."**

Quickly he brought his clawed hand to his mouth an pulled out what appeared to be a piece of a school uniform. He looked up to smile sheepishly but stopped when he saw that her leg was raised straight up. Before he had chance to say anything she delivered a powerful ax-kick that landed in between his eyes, nearly cracking his skull open. As soon as she finished him she quickly made her way to Tsukune who was not only convulsing but who appeared to have stopped breathing. She immediately scooped him up in her arms and ran towards the school. Yukari was doing her best to keep up with them as she watched Moka's eyes which were fixated on Tsukune, holding him close to her body.

* * *

(Medical building)

Though Tsukune seemed to be unconscious he was able to see glimpses of the aftermath. Moka carrying him in her arms to the nurses office, Kurumu and the nurse demanding to know what had happened, them rushing him through the halls on a gurney, students trying to see what had happened to him and finally them hooking him up to machines that were pumping drugs into his body. His entire body was numb from all the drugs traveling through his system. Though all feeling was gone he could still hear everything that was going on.

"Moka how did this happen?"

"Gomen Kurumu-san...I didn't want this to happen."

Apparently Moka had turned back to normal. He could hear someone crying near him. Kurumu seemed angry at whoever it was that was crying.

"Tsukune-san! Forgive me...I was wrong about you...I love you..."

Well Yukari seemed to have apologized so that was good. In all honesty if he could talk he would accept it. He heard the girls making their way to his side and take their seats. He could hear noises from the area around him. He heard a mechanical beeping of a heart monitor and the bustling of people. From what he could tell he was in an hospital. He laid in that bed for who knows how long, listening to the outside world. After a while everything seemed to calm down and nobody spoke. Slowly but surely he could feel his body returning to normal. At this point he attempted to open his eyes. At first his vision was blurry but came back quickly. The room was dark, the only light came from the glow of the machines he was hooked up to. He could see all three of the girls were sitting next to him. All three of them were sound asleep and by the looks of it have been for several hours. He tried to move his arm but soon saw that it was no longer there.

"...ow."

His voice was weak and barely audible. It was obvious that he was under some powerful sedatives.

_**'Ow? You have your arm snapped off and say 'Ow'? I'm impressed. I've seen greater men cry over lesser wounds.'**_

His mind was so muddled that he couldn't even come up with a remark. His head lolled over to watch the girls sleep. Moka and Kurumu had their heads on each others shoulders and in the middle was Yukari, sleeping peacefully.

_**'Noble of you to forgive her when she didn't deserve it. I believe you deserve a reward for that.'**_

The sound of the door creaking open caught his attention. He tried to move his head but found it to be extremely difficult. The sound of something slithering across the floor, not unlike that of a snake wasn't lost on him. He saw the covers begin to move on their own and the feeling of something warm touching his body. Whatever it was touching him. traveled its way up his body until it reached his face. It slowly came to his eye. It dug behind the eye at an agonizing pace. He tried to scream but the only sound he made was a wheezing rasp. The heart monitor beeped as his heart pumped faster and faster. Kurumu moved her hand and slapped it like an alarm clock. The pain traveled down from his eye to his missing arm. He watched as the bandages around the nub loosened to reveal a bone protruding out of the skin.

It was like watching a nature video of a growing plant. The bone grew at an accelerated pace and began to split apart. He watched in amazement as the bones in his arm and hand were fully regenerated. Next came the pink strands and cords of tissue, sinew and muscles wrapped themselves around the skeletal arm. Finally patches of pale flesh grew on the muscles and expanded outwards. He couldn't believe it, his arm was back to normal. Everything was exactly the same except for a pale white ring around his elbow.

_**'A reminder of what I have done...and can do."**_

* * *

(Medical building-Morning)

Outside of Tsukune's door was the three boys readying themselves for one last all out attack. Each one of them was carrying a small wooden club. They were psyching themselves, building up their courage. Kasashara stood ahead of them with his hand on the door knob.

"All right we all saw him yesterday and know that he's in no shape to defend himself. If we take him out than we'll become the toughest students in this school!"

All three of them let out a primal war cry and tore open the door. They held their clubs up high ready to bring them down on the head of their enemy.

"Hello!"

Tsukune stood in the middle of the room buttoning up his shirt. One side of it was torn and caked in dried blood but it was the only shirt he had. The group stood there with jaws dropped but quickly brought the clubs behind their backs. Tsukune had on a friendly smile as he continued to get dressed. After a few minutes Tsukune finished and made his way to the door.

"Thanks for stopping by...it's nice to know that not everybody is out to get me."

Tsukune made his way out of the room and quickly made his way down a flight of stairs. All three of the boys watched in disbelief as to what just happened. Gouzaburou and Kubisaku glared at Kasashara, brought out their clubs and whacked him over the head. As he lay on the floor twitching in pain they threw down their clubs and walked away from him, not wanting to have any part with him any more.

* * *

(A/N)

Thanks to all of those who reviewed...I truly appreciate it.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	5. Luna Venatoris

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire.

"_He who wears a mask cannot see within himself."_

_Author Unknown_

Luna Venatoris

The morning sun rose above the treeline that surrounded the school grounds. A lone figure made it's way silently across a beaten pathway. Tsukune had left the hospital before Moka or the others had a chance to wake. He needed time to himself. Entering the boy's dormitory he went straight to his room and shut the door. The moment the door closed behind him he sat down on his mattress thinking hard about the events that had occurred within the last few hours. He had nearly bled to death, was rushed to the ICU of the school's medical facility and lost an arm but that wasn't what concerned him the most. He stared at the pale ring-like scar that encircled his newly formed arm. Tsukune flexed his fingers, rung his wrist, balled his hand into a fist and by look and feel of it everything was normal. The images of what happened the night before haunted him. The regrowing of bone and flesh replaying in his mind over and over. Ever since he came to this school his life was turned upside down but now it was beginning to twist.

Tsukune turned away from his arm and scanned the room. His attention landed on a small desk. It was a standard desk equipped with several drawers filled with miscellaneous items for school and a small lamp. He got up from the bed and quickly crossed to the other side of the room. Opening the top drawer a strange and dark idea entered his head. Inside was a pair of scissors laying on top of a pile loose leaf. He held them in his hand, the cool steel feeling nice against his skin. Slowly he opened the shaft of the shears, gazing at the sharp edges. His hand shook apprehensively as he placed one of his fingers between the twin blades. Shutting his eyes tightly he rocked back and forth, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. Breathing deeply he counted backwards in his head, resting his finger on the sharp metallic blade. As he neared the end of his countdown panic started to settle in. Every nerve in his body told him to stop what he was doing to pull his finger out from the shears but his own morbid curiosity overpowered the need for self preservation. The scissors widened as he pulled his thumb up ready to bring it down.

_**'What are you doing?'**_

Tsukune jerked back his hand, slicing his palm open. The clanking of the scissors hitting the floor resounded through the small room while he fell to his knees holding his wounded hand. Sucking the blood from his wound the dark entity spoke to him.

_**'It warms my non-existent heart seeing you experimenting with pain. I've always promoted self-mutilation but I thought you should know that those little things wouldn't cut through the bone...cleanly."**_

He still held his hand trying to stop the bleeding by pinching the edges of the wound together. The wound didn't stop bleeding until an all to familiar pain formed around his hand. The gash sewed itself back up leaving only a thin scar across his palm. His heart raced watching the injury healing before his eyes. It was horrifying what this thing was doing to him; Transmogrifying his body into a hideously disfigured colossus, whispering evil things in his ears, haunting his dreams, and now the regrowth of limbs. What else was going to happen?

_**'Broken bones and cuts I can do for free but missing parts and organs will cost' ya."**_

Tsukune gulped audibly.

"Cost me what?"

It chortled lightly.

_**'They say that with blood, sweat, and tears anything can be accomplished but just give me that blood and I'll build you a whole brand-spankin' new body."**_

Tsukune gripped his face in confusion.

"You mean last night...that was blood?"

_**'Ding Ding Ding we have a winner!That was blood, red gold, crimson tea."**_

Tsukune felt like he was about to be sick. He vividly remembered how that thing slithered it's way to him like some sort demonic serpent. It wrapping itself around his body and fully penetrating his eye-

"Hey wait! How did that much blood appear from nowhere?"

_**'Best not to try and make sense of this shit little buddy, thinking is not your strong suit.'**_

Tsukune placed his hand on his chin with deep, thoughtful look written on his face.

"So you...feed on blood, don't you?"

_**'Awww look at that! Aren't you just the little brainchild. You're wrong about the feeding part but basically right. I'm what you would call a connoisseur, you get me blood and I give you power."**_

"Well can't you use my own blood?"

_**'No.'**_

"Why not?"

A cold chuckle rung in his head.

_**'Because that would be cheating.'**_

This was a little more than what he could handle but in all honesty ever since he had entered this school he had to handle far more than what he was used to. Suddenly a thought occurred.

"Does this mean I'm invincible?"

_**'Whoa who said anything about you being invincible? True I can do things that your feeble little mind couldn't even begin to comprehend but making you invincible is not one of them. If you take too much damage and not give me enough blood or time to heal you then we DIE and by we I mean you!'**_

A rapid knocking at the door pulled him from the conversation with the evil creature. His eyes were wide with fear as whomever it was on the other side tried turning the knob.

"Tsukune-kun? Are you in there?"

He immediately looked around the room in a panic. Deciding quickly he ran to his dresser to pull out pairs of fresh clothing. He was pulling his shirt over his head when the sound of someone slamming themselves against his door stopped him. In an instant he jumped onto his bed and flung the windows open. The room filled with a chill as the wind blew. Tsukune look down at the ground below and back to the door which started to groan under the pressure. He turned back to the ground to see that he was at least three stories up.

_'You said you can heal broken bones, right? How fast?'_

_**'Kid if it was possible they'd be fixed before you touched the ground.'**_

* * *

(Academy-Home Room)

Moka slumped in her desk, depressed about this mornings events. All three of them awoke to find that Tsukune was no longer there. Immediately Kurumu ran out of the room screaming back that she was going to check for him at the boy's dormitory. Moka and Yukari were left with the exhausting task of checking the entire hospital. After every room was searched they both acknowledged the fact that he wasn't in the hospital anymore. Soon they both left to their respective classrooms. She was in a completely disheveled state. Her hair was frayed and skin was paler than normal along with small bags making an appearance under her eyes. She let out a small yawn and closed her eyelids for a moment.

"WAKE UP!"

A hand slapped down on her desk causing her to shoot up in her chair. Kurumu scowled at Moka who guiltily looked away. She crossed her arms under her chest and tapped her foot on the floor. She slammed her hand back down on her desk leaving a pair of scissors.

"That's just great Moka! Here I am worried sick about Tsukune-kun and you're sleeping!"

"That's not true..."

"Whatever."

Kurumu plopped down in her seat in a huff. Moka returned to her seat with her hands on lap, unable to look Kurumu in the eye. She turned to the scissors noticing that they were covered in dried blood. She leaned in closer to sniff the scissors. Her eyes widened as her delicate nostrils filled with the scent of blood.

"That's Tsukune's blood!"

Kurumu faced her and spoke in a haughty tone.

"Finally noticed that huh? Yes Tsukune is out there somewhere missing his arm and is further hurt!"

She turned her attention away from Moka and stared lout the window. Moka noticed Kurumu staring off into the distance while whispering.

"Tsukune-kun...where are you?"

* * *

(School grounds)

Sounds of breaking twigs and debris traveled throughout the trees. Tsukune limped lightly through the woods while holding onto his fresh clothes. He didn't know who it was on the other side of the door but didn't wait to find out. He was without a shirt and his pants were torn around his shins revealing two newly formed scars. The only articles of clothing that weren't damaged were the shoes on his feet. His breathing was labored and eventually reached to the point were he stopped by the nearest tree to catch his breath. Slumping to the ground he gingerly rubbed his legs, hissing at the pain.

"Ahhh...I thought you said you could heal me!"

_**'And the bones in your legs are 100% healed.'**_

"Than why does it hurt so much?"

_**'What do you expect? You jumped from a three story window but don't fret my pale compadre. Just find some small animal, kill it, and I'll-'**_

"I'm not doing that."

A silent moment came to the both of them. Unbeknownst to him Tsukune had issued a challenge to the relic. It was now a contest of wills, human vs mask. Neither would back down.

_**'Huh...Y'know it's funny 'cause I could've sworn that you just said that you were NOT going to do what I told you to do.'**_

Tsukune folded his arms and stared forward with unwavering confidence.

"I'm not going to kill some innocent creature for your perverse pleasures. That's absolutely ghoulish."

He stood up, legs quivering from the pain but like a man he took some tentative steps forward.

"I'll live with the pain."

He barely took another step when his body froze again. Both his heart and lungs stopped working but his mind was well aware of what was going on. His face was stuck in a determined scowl. Tsukune tried his hardest to move but his muscles were frozen in place. After a few moments the mask spoke in a calm but dangerous tone.

_**'I have but one simple request for you...all I've asked for was blood, not a lot just enough to keep your ass out of the fire and you call it 'ghoulish'?'**_

Tsukune struggled his hardest to come up with a single coherent thought.

_'It...is.'_

_**'But when that pink haired tart asks for a drink you spread it like a two-dollar whore.'**_

_'She's a..vampire..needs...blood.'_

Immediately it mocked him in a faux whine.

_**'She's a vampire! She needs blood! For fucks sake kid grow at least one nut! You are so pussy whipped and you're not even getting any pussy!'**_

He couldn't stand being stuck like this. His lungs screamed for help while his muscles spasm lightly. Without warning his body lurched forward on its own allowing him to fall face first into the dirt. The cold voice hissed in his mind.

_**'You give her blood for nothing. I ask for blood to keep you alive and perky. Get your priorities straight boy.'**_

It released him from the hellish limbo. The trapped air from his lungs forcibly expelled itself out of his body kicking up a dust cloud. His face and eyes were covered in the caustic grit. Tsukune hastily rose from the ground to rub his eyes.

BONG DONG BONG

He looked upward to see the bell in the tower swinging away, signaling all the late comers were officially missing class. Immediately Tsukune rushed to his clothes and ran full speed towards the academy doors.

* * *

(Academy-Home Room)

The classroom slowly filled up with students who had just made it before the academy bell rung. They came in speaking about whatever it was that they were talking about. Kurumu was gazing out the window, daydreaming about Tsukune and where he was while Moka poked at the scissors. The students took their seats and chatted away with each other. Both girls ignored them and stayed in their own little worlds.

"Can you believe what happened to Aono?"

"Yeah man I was there."

Everybody was talking about the incident from yesterday. Apparently because everybody saw Tsukune as an self absorbed jerk they were talking about his injuries like it was Christmas time. They went on and on about it up to the point that both Moka and Kurumu felt like they were going to be sick. At that moment Nekonome-sensei came in and tapped on the black board to get the classes attention.

"Alright class I know that you're all worried about Aono-san but I've been told that he has been in a stable condition for several hours."

A mixed reaction went through the class. Most seemed relieved which was actually surprising to both girls but there were a few that seemed far less than happy that he was alright. They were a few boys that snorted in disappointment and quietly made snide remarks.

"Too bad...if he wasn't than maybe the rest of us decent guys would have a chance to find a girl."

"Bout time someone put him in his place."

"I'd bet every buck I got that he started those rumors about himself."

Moka heard them and did her best to ignore them. She restrained from lashing out at them. How dare they insult Tsukune from behind his back like that! she was disgusted. Nekonome-sensei didn't hear them speak so she continued on.

"So if any of you wish to visit him after class that would be great."

The students murmured among themselves about whether they should visit Tsukune in the hospital. Moka and Kurumu knew that for those who did would not find him there. The few who knew that they weren't going silently spoke out.

"I'll see that raging jackass when hell freezes."

"Dude got what was coming to him."

Moka clenched her fist tightly as they continued to bash him repeatedly and didn't bother to stop. She grit her teeth hard. The combination of the verbal abuse and being worn out from the mornings activities was wearing her patience thin. They went on about how Tsukune deserve what he got and how they wished it was them who had gotten to him first. They spoke in secretive and hushed tones so that Nekonome-sensei wouldn't hear them jabbing and defiling Tsukune's character. She brought her hands to her ears trying to block out their voices. They kept talking and talking while Nekonome-sensei went on about the days lesson. Their voice droned on in her ears non-stop, going and going and going.

"MAY I USE THE RESTROOM!"

Moka screamed loudly in primal anger in an attempt to drown out the voices. Everybody was staring at her with weird looks. Noticing that she was standing up from her chair both hands on the desk. Realizing that she must have looked like a complete weirdo she slowly sat back down and placed her hands in her lap. The students still had their eyes on her as she gazed downwards. She wanted to die of embarrassment when she heard Nekonome-sensei speak.

"Well...you should have gone before class started but if you really need to go I suppose-"

Moka grabbed the scissors, jumped out of her seat and ran past every student in a rush. She pulled the door wide open, stepped out and slammed it shut. Her classmates gazed at the door in befuddlement while Nekonome simply stated.

"I guess she really needed to go."

* * *

(Hallway)

Moka walked silently towards the girls bathroom thinking about what had happened. The idea of people attacking somebody behind their backs with cruel rumors and horrid remarks made her red with rage. She stopped mid-step, closed her eyes and laid back against the wall breathing deeply. It wasn't fair that those students would attack Tsukune just because of a few stupid rumors. All she could think about was where he was at that moment. He must have been cold, alone, scared out of his mind.

"Moka-san!"

A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders in a firm but strangely pleasant manner. Opening her eyes she saw the smiling face of Aono Tsukune. His face was covered in earth with leaves and twigs present in his hair. His shirt was gone which in all honesty she kinda liked along with the rips on his pant-legs. She watched him smiling and waving his arms around while talking to her. His voice was far off, as if he was screaming at her from the other side of a canyon and after he was finished he placed his hand on her shoulder. At that moment she slapped it away and marched off in a huff. She could hear him trying to catch up with her. He had managed to run beside her with a shocked expression which deepened as she said only four words to him.

"You lied to me."

Moka continued onward even though Tsukune stopped short and dumb-struck. After a few seconds he got back up beside her.

"What are you talking about? I've never lied to you."

She spun around dangerously fast with animosity present in her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes really!"

She nodded her vigorously in a sarcastic manner. He wanted to know why she was being so aggressive towards him. Her hand shot out and grabbed his own hand to wave it front of his face. She held a look of grim victory as he had a look similar to that of a fish out of water. His face faltered as she let his arm free from her grip.

"I can explain this."

Moka folded her arms under her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. Tsukune tried to think of something quick to say but came up blank. Her jade eyes bore into him with anger.

"It's really complicated."

She just glared at him with disbelief. She put her back to him and calmly walked away. He quickly caught up to her pleading his heart out to her.

"Moka-san I know this must be weird but I don't know why you think I lied to you!"

She stopped in front of the girls bathroom with one hand on the door. She turned to him once more but instead of anger she showed betrayal. She close the gap between them and quietly hissed in a low voice.

"You lied about being human."

Tsukune hadn't expected that. He wondered why she would think that he would lie about what he was especially since it seemed that being human was something to be ashamed of by a lot of the students. Lowering his voice just like her he answered back.

"I didn't lie about being human."

Moka brushed her hands through her hair anxiously and responded in a hysterical but still hushed voice.

"How can you still say that after what I just saw? Last time I checked when a human looses an arm I find they don't grow back the next day...or ever!"

Tsukune rubbed the back of his neck apprehensively. He didn't know what to tell her when even he didn't fully understand what was going on. Taking a deep breath he brought his hands together as if he was ready to say a prayer.

"Moka..."

That calmed her down considerably. In nearly two months of them hanging out together everyday he had never called her by her name alone. It was always Moka-san never just Moka. She had hoped that one day he would be comfortable enough to call her that but never like he just did. His words were filled with confusion, desperation, and fear. Eyes filled with guilt and shame pulled her in, ready to listen.

"I don't really know what's happening to me or why but I'm really scared."

It must have been difficult for him to admit that. She had always thought that men just stuffed their feelings deep down or that some weren't smart enough to actually feel anything. Moka was even more surprised that he continued.

"But I would never lie to you about what I am."

He spoke with such conviction that it scared her a little. His eyes were honest and vulnerable. The only right thing she felt to do was to hug him. She wrapped her arms around his body then placed her face on his shoulder. Tsukune didn't know what was going on but he was feeling better. Arms tightly embraced him in a secure manner allowing him to feel safe. It was the first time in months that he felt like there was nothing to worry about, no monsters, no masks just them and only them. His eyelids drooped slightly as he yawned loudly. Moka tightened her grip around him when he tried to break off the hug.

"M-Moka...san?"

"Hmmphh?"

Her teeth dug into the nape of his neck. Strength leaving his body to the point of him collapsing to the ground. His eyes flickered upward to see Moka staring down at him with sympathetic, caring eyes and a thin trail of blood running down her lip.

"I believe you Tsukune."

"Yippee..."

Reaching down she pulled Tsukune to his feet. His eyes looked slightly glazed over but otherwise fine. She brushed some of the twigs and leaves from his hair smiling sweetly.

"You should really do something about this."

Directing him to the boy's bathroom door she pushed him in. He stumbled across the floor but manage to keep his balance. Looking around he finally noticed that his clothes were no longer in his grip. As if she had read his mind the door swung open to reveal Moka tossing the aforementioned clothes at him. He caught them with as much grace as one could when catching their own pants. The door closed leaving him to his own devices. Deciding that the first thing to be done was to wash away the dirt he made his way to the sinks and set the taps on full blast. Cupping his hands under the cool water felt good and it felt nicer when he splashed his face with it. He could feel all the accumulated grime rolling off allowing him to see himself clearly in the mirror. Two small puncture marks were present on his neck. He rubbed the area gingerly as the wound still stung.

"I guess she's still a little angry."

As the words left his mouth he could swear that that a faint yellow light flash behind his eyes.

_**'Blood for nothing.'**_

* * *

(School-Home Room)

The class roared with glee as chaos ensued. Paper balls flew the air and pencils hung from the ceiling. Nekonome-sensei tried her hardest to calm them but her voice barely rose above the screams. She couldn't believe at how they were acting like a bunch of children. Having no idea what started all this she rose her voice once more, this time to a dull roar.

"STUDENTS PLEASE!"

They ignored their teacher and went on with their self-induced chaos. The door opened alerting Nekonome-sensei to Moka.

"AKASHIYA-SAN I HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER NOW!"

Moka barely heard her teacher over the classmates ruckus. It came to the point where she had to cover her ears.

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

"YES YOUR SEAT IS STILL OPEN!"

She shook her head lightly, not able to believe what was going on. Walking back to her seat while trying to avoid the grabbing hands of some of the more brazen male students and the projectiles that flew through the air. Moka sat down in her seat and pushed off waded paper and pencils from her desk. She noticed that Kurumu was still staring out the window ignoring everything that was going on to the point where objects bounced off her head without alerting her. Nekonome-sensei was jumping up and down trying her hardest to calm down her students.

"PLEASE CLASS I NEED YOU TO CALM-"

The sliding door reopened interrupting her once more. She turned towards the door holding her hand to her mouth in genuine surprise. After taking a second to absorb, she greeted the person.

"AONO-SAN! I'M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU!"

The difference was like night and day. First the class was in an uproar that would put a mosh pit at a death metal concert to shame and now it was as quiet as the grave. Every student watched with terror filled eyes when their teacher continued with her one sided conversation with whomever it was in the doorway. The sound of slow, steady foot steps sent chills up their backs as the person entered the room. Tsukune stood in front of the class clean and clothed. All of his classmates froze in position with mouths hanging open. Nekonome smiled sweetly at Tsukune, unaware of the effect he had on them.

"GOOD TO- I mean good to see that you're not nearly as hurt as I believed."

"You lost an arm...I saw you!"

Tsukune turned to see one of the students pointing straight at him, gawking with horror. Tsukune's brows rose with confusion as he thought of something to say.

"Ummm...I got better?"

A collective gasp traveled through the crowd. That answer seemed innocent enough but they way they perceived it made him sound scary. Nekonome pointed him towards his seat in which all those who stood in the way quickly moved. He stood by his desk when the sound of scraping chairs on the floor tipped him off to the rest of the students standing by their desks. They stared at him. obediently waiting for his next move. With uneasy tension he sat down in his seat and the rest of the class followed his lead. It came to the point where it really freaked him out about how freaked out they were of him. He sat down and the noise of everyone else sitting soon followed. He could feel Kurumu's eyes on him and when he turned to face her he saw them filled with relief and admiration. All he could do was give her a small smile and keep his head down for the rest of the class.

The hour ticked away slowly eventually ending by the sound of the bell. The students picked up their backpacks and exited through the classroom doors towards their next class. Nekonome stood by the doorway waving goodbye to them with her usual happy-go-lucky attitude of hers. They passed by one by one until Tsukune, Moka and Kurumu came near. Her ears perked up as they neared her.

"Hope all three of you remember to show up today!"

Each one of looked at each other with confusion. Nekonome noticed this and immediately understood why.

"Oh that's right I forgot to tell you...gomen."

She bopped herself on the head in a cutesy fashion.

"Today is the first meeting of the newspaper club! So I really hope to see you all back here after school."

She pushed out all three of them and waved goodbye. As soon as everyone was gone she returned to her desk and exhaled a relieved sigh. She was glad that Tsukune had come back from the hospital but it bothered her that the students were that afraid of him especially since he seemed like such a nice boy. Shrugging away that thought she brought her attention to the papers in front of her. Getting through half of them a knock at the door diverted her attention.

"Oh! Hello there."

* * *

(Home Room- Several hours later)

Kurumu ran from the gymnasium all the way back to her home room. She was so excited that she almost left while still in her uniform. The idea of her and Tsukune in the same club drove her nearly to the brink. This was the perfect opportunity for her to win him over. A controlled environment with only Moka to compete with, it was too perfect. Stopping in front of the door she dusted herself off, pressed the wrinkles out from her skirt and evened out her hair. After several deep breaths she took the door handle, opened it and stepped forward.

"Hello Everybody!"

Tsukune and Moka sat next to each other and each smiled sweetly at her. It was just her and him...Perfect. Just as she was about to enter a pair of small hands pushed her to the side. The tiny body of Sendou Yukari brushed pass her and plopped itself down next to Tsukune. Kurumu recovered from this assault with robust fury.

"What are you doing here?"

Yukari looked over at her smugly as she crossed her legs and wrapped her arm around Tsukune's.

"Isn't it obvious? I joined this morning to make sure that you don't get in the way of Tsukune and Moka-san's relationship."

Kurumu snapped at the little girl.

"Why? I thought you hated Tsukune-kun!"

Yukari tightened her grip around him and took a defensive posture.

"I don't hate Tsukune-san! In assuming that he was a brainless thug I was wrong something that you always are."

Kurumu grit her teeth at the child and made her way to her. It looked like she was about to wrestle Yukari off the chair when Nekonome-sensei entered the room. Kurumu grudgingly took a seat next to Moka but glared at Yukari. The teacher stood in front of the nearly empty classroom and cleared her throat.

"Welcome everyone to the first meeting of Youkai Academy's newspaper club!"

Tsukune looked around the room with confused disbelief. There was no one else in the room except for him, Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari. Raising his hand Nekonome acknowledged his question.

"Yes?"

"Are we the only members?"

Nekonome dismissed his question with a wave of her hand.

"Don't be silly Aono-san. Of course they're are other members. There is someone else coming."

At that moment the door swung open to reveal another student. He was older than they were by at least a year. He had a handsome face along with thick black locks of hair and a pearly white smile that gleamed in the fluorescent light. His eyes were a deep navy blue that people tend to lose themselves in. He wore the standard school uniform but his under shirt was open exposing his chest and a silver wolf's head pendant. Around his forehead was a red strip of cloth and a rose tucked behind his ear. He made his way to the front of the classroom. Standing in front of the four of them he smiled sweetly.

"Are y'all the newest additions of our little club?"

The way he spoke was like someone who grew up on the streets yet at the same time someone who was also well cultured. Simply put he was extremely charming almost to the point that his aura dazzled them. He reached behind his back to pull out a pair of flower bouquets and gave them to Moka and Kurumu. They both took the flowers and shied away with identical blushes. He grinned at their reactions.

"Evr'y woman deserves beautiful flowers."

Reaching up to his face he plucked the rose that was behind ear and gently placed it in Yukari's hand.

"Evr'y woman."

He winked at all four of them in an debonair fashion and took his place in front of the classroom. All of them stared in awe at this newcomer. Tsukune couldn't believe how smooth this guy was and how naturally charming he was.

_'Wow...he's good.'_

Nekonome-sensei stood idly by as the boy made his entrance and stood were she was just a few moments before. Seemingly pleased with herself she made her way to the door .

"All righty then I'm going out now but I hope you'll get along!"

Leaving them by themselves Nekonome left the room and shut the door. They watched the older student who seemed to enjoy their curious gazes. Shifting his attention to them he decided to speak once more.

"I know you're wonderin' who I'm am. My name's Morioka Ginei but my friends call me Gin."

Gin spoke with such smooth confidence that it was almost daunting to be near him. Tsukune slowly rose his hand.

"Morioka-sem-"

"Please Tsukune-san, call me Gin."

The girls blushed as he continued to schmooze it on. Tsukune still held his hand up but this time with a bit of a smile.

"Well I was wondering Gin-sempai...are we the only members?"

Gin took a more serious pose after he asked that particular question. He folded his arms together and stared down at the ground in front of him.

"Yeah well not many can handle what this club offers."

All four of the freshmen looked at one another with worried glances at Gin's words. Walking to the teacher's desk he sat behind it with fingers entwined together in front of him.

"People expect us to deliver important and per'nent news weekly. Our club requires that our members get this info by the cost of life an' limbs. Only the grittiest of student's manage to survive in this club but together with my help you'll not only survive but give this school the news it deserves."

He spoke like a general does to his troops before a battle. His tone darkened just like his eyes and it scared them. Each was thinking how they wouldn't want to fail him. His shoulders quivered slightly, keeping eye contact with each and every one of them his once dazzling aura darkened. While the others could feel this change Tsukune actually witnessed it. He saw what he could only assume was Gin's aura changing. It was strange seeing that, it wasn't a raging or overflowing light of color but rather a thin silhouette around his person. The moment it occurred a feeling of excitement mounted in his stomach, excitement that didn't belong to him.

"Gotcha!"

The dark silhouette dissipated from Tsukune's sight leaving only Gin's smiling face. He laughed as their reactions range from surprise to being miffed. His grin lit up the room once more while reaching underneath the teachers desk.

"Nah the real reason is because people think that all we do is sit around and make up stories, thankfully their only half right. Today however..."

Bringing up a stack of papers he slapped them down on the desk.

"We're gonna just hang up these posters."

Gin cut the stack into four even piles and placed them on their desks. They grabbed their individual stacks as Gin took two step ladders from the class closet.

* * *

(Hallways)

The entire club was out in the halls hanging up poster depicting their homeroom teacher and the saying 'Support your school paper' in big bold letters. Yukari was placing them in the empty spaces between the lockers while Kurumu and Moka stood on the step ladders trying to place the posters above them. Gin was watching all of them hanging the posters while encouraging them. Tsukune on the other hand was watching him instead of hanging posters. For some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something sinister about Gin. He seemed confident, charismatic, somewhat funny and all around nice guy but deep down in his gut something told him that he was off.

"Is this good sempai?"

"Lil higher."

Tsukune watched them trying to reach higher and Gin looking at them. As they reached even higher Gin's eyes focused on them. It came to the point that it started to creep him out.

_'What is he...!"_

His eyes nearly bulged out from his skull as he watched Gin lick his lips and thrust in a graphic manner. He couldn't believe that his sempai was sexually harassing them right behind their backs. He ran straight at Gin and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing them to come face to face.

"What the hell?"

The girls turned around to see Tsukune grabbing their sempai by the shoulder's. He chuckled lightly even though he was being grabbed.

"Relax Tsukune-san I totally understand."

Both girls stepped down from the ladders unaware of what was going on.

"What happened?"

Immediately Gin spoke in a calm and relaxed tone before Tsukune could even turn.

"I caught Tsukune-san here peeking up your skirts, pathetic really..."

Tsukune gaped in disbelief as Gin held a calm demeanor and charming smile. With amazing synchronicity both girls pulled back their hands as far as they could and slapped him across the face. Though he didn't feel the physical pain the emotional hurt was more than enough. In shock he watched both girls walk away, rubbing their hands and grumbling to each other. Tsukune rubbed his cheeks while Gin slapped his hand down onto his shoulder, laughing quietly to himself.

"That was just too easy!"

Tsukune felt him gently slap him across the face and walked away from him.

"See ya tomorrow Tsukune-san."

Tsukune grit his teeth to the point that the sound of grinding filled the hallways. Gin whistled an innocent tune and turned a corner. Burning holes of hate into his back until he disappeared from his sight. Yukari stood in front of him trying to tell him something but heard nothing. All he could think about what Gin did to him, turning him into a fool in front of his friends, in front of Moka.

* * *

(School grounds- Next morning)

The grounds were filled with students trying to get to their first period classes. Tsukune was busy trying to get Moka's attention but she was adamant on ignoring him.

"Please Moka-san it wasn't like that! I didn't see anything!"

She walked on not listening to a word he was saying. He kept trying to get her to listen but the more she ignore him the angrier he got.

"He LIED!"

"Why would he lie to us about that?"

"Because he wants to make me look bad!"

Moka glanced at him with a disapproving look.

"Make you look bad? Doesn't that seem a little...paranoid?"

He stood in the middle of the grounds, unable to do anything as she continued towards the academy. Tsukune clenched his fist tightly, cracking his knuckles and cutting into his palm with his own fingernails. Anger burned in his brain like a small, glowing ember from a dying fire.

"He peeked at them! He peeked not me!"

_**'I know.'**_

"He turned them against me!"

_**'Sucks dunnit?'**_

"It's not fair!"

_**'Makes you angry huh? Makes want to do something about it?'**_

Standing by himself in the middle of the grounds he slowly nodded his head and growled under his breath.

"Yeah...it does."

_**'Maybe you wanna take matters into your own hands, make him pay for what he did t'ya?"**_

"Yeah."

'_**Snap a few fingers, crack his jaw and rend loins? Get a little Pulp Fiction on his ass?'**_

"Ye-NO!"

Standing there he looked around to see if anyone had heard him, thankfully he was alone. Everybody had gone into the school so nobody was around to hear his outburst. Deciding that it was still too risky to stand out in the open he made his way behind one of the many dying trees. Whispering he spoke out loud to the relic.

"I don't want to hurt him just ask him to tell them the truth!"

_**'You're one sick bastard y'know that."**_

Again Tsukune stared off into the distance unable to comprehend it's words.

"How-"

_**'Any 'normal' person would want to do some damage to a fucker like him yet all you want to do is ask him to tell the truth? There is something wrong with you child.'**_

He thought about those words and they made somewhat of an impact on him. That did make sense, maybe he should actually consider it's advice.

"You're right!"

_**'That's it! Now what are'ya gonna do?'**_

Tsukune took a step forward with his fist clenched closely to his chest.

"I'm not gonna ask him..."

_**'Yeah...!'**_

It's voice quivered with anticipation waiting for his answer. Clenching his jaw he spoke with the confidence of a man on a mission, eyes burning with determination.

"I'm going to demand that he tell them the truth!"

The silence between the two was almost comical in a way. The confidence in his eyes quickly dwindled away into nothing as the thing stayed quiet. Thinking that he said something wrong he crouched onto the base of the tree. Finally after a few moments he heard a tired sigh in his head.

_**'Well...I guess it's somewhat of a start...at least tell me you won't be polite about it?'**_

Fumbling to his feet his eyes re-lit with fiery determination.

"No I'm not!"

_**'Alright, lemons to lemonade. If you wanna do this now, the douche-bag is over there.'**_

Immediately Tsukune looked around to see no one was there. Before he had a chance to ask where something strange was happening. The color from his surroundings disappeared leaving his vision to turn black and white. His eyes felt compressed but surprisingly it wasn't painful unlike everything else this thing was putting him through. Suddenly his vision moved on it's own turning around the tree he was beneath and zoomed across the grounds. After a hundred yards it stopped at the side of the academy building. He saw Gin standing several feet away crouching in front of a window wearing a large lens camera around his neck and holding a small digital one snapping away. When Tsukune took a step forward his vision flew back across the grounds, stopped when it reached back to himself and the color bled back into his sight. Nausea set in along with being severely lightheaded which felled him to his knees. Gripping the sides of his head, he took several deep breaths, trying to settle his headache.

_**'My eyesight is much better than yours. Now why don't you go and 'demand' some of that respect you think you deserve.'**_

The first thing he did after getting back his bearings was getting on his own to feet and dash across the grounds. The anger that raged inside him prevented any thought other than getting to Gin from entering his head. If he had been in a calmer state of mind he might have considered what he was doing and if it was the smart thing to do. His normal self wouldn't even consider confronting a senior student and now here he was going full speed towards his own sempai ready to give him a piece of his mind. He was changing, whether it was this place or the thing under his face he was changing, for better or worse.

It whispered words of dark encouragement as he closed in on Gin. The moment he turned the corner of the academy building he found no one there. Walking to where Gin supposedly crouched a few seconds ago he silently fumed.

"You lied."

It answered back in a mock hurt tone.

_**'I would never lie to you about this! Revenge no matter how small is one of my favorite hobbies.'**_

Tsukune stomped in desperate frustration as it blamed him for not being fast enough. He turned around to see a couple of bushes that he failed to notice the first time. Going towards them he saw them rustle in the slightest which told him immediately that they was someone there. He leaped towards the shrubbery, fisting and clawing at the leaves only to come up empty. He cocked his head in confusion when an ear shattering scream pierce his eardrums. Wondering who it was that was screaming Tsukune saw a girl in the window covering her bare chest and clenching a somewhat dingy school shirt. He lifted his hands trying to calm her down but she responded by reaching into her bag and throwing a textbook at him. Thankfully it missed his head but she went on screaming.

"HENTAI!"

Tsukune continued to dodge whatever projectiles she could find within her reach which set off the mask's cruel laughter. He still tried to calm her but she wouldn't listen no matter what he did. The accumulation of screaming, dodging, lack of Gin and the thing laughing at him grated on one of his few remaining nerves.

"HENTAI! HOW DARE YOU PEEP AT ME!"

"DON'T FLATTER YOURSELF!"

At that moment they stopped what they were doing, both with identical expressions of shock. Tsukune slapped his hand over his mouth unable to believe the words that came out of his mouth while the girl was silent and tearing up. Quietly she walked out of sight with the sound of a door closing shut. He fell flat on his ass still in shock over what he said but the object was more than happy to let it's thoughts known.

_**' That was spectacular!'**_

"Can't believe I said that to her."

A small 'tsk tsk' entered his mind.

_**'Relax boy, you taught her a valuable lesson. The universe does not revolve around the space between her legs. She should've realized that sex was the last thing on your mind.'**_

"That doesn't ex-"

_**'I mean the LAST thing on your mind. Normal kids your age think about sex all the time but you were more concerned about what's for lunch.'**_

"Well I don't think that-"

_**'Kid you make even the saints cry.'**_

It continued with it's insults until it was finally interrupted by a flash of light. There was Gin leaning up against the wall holding his digital camera.

"Say cheese!"

Another flash of erupted from the camera temporarily blinding him for only the briefest of moments. He rubbed his eyes and felt someone laying their hand on his shoulder. Gin was standing next to him smiling an award winning smile and soft eyes. Tsukune glared angrily at his sempai who looked genuinely sorry.

"Still angry about yesterday, huh? Don't blame you really..."

Tsukune shrugged him off and tried to walk away from him. Before he would done anything to get near him but now getting away was all he wanted. Gin however had decided to stick close to his side.

"Oh c'mon man I just wanna apologize is all!"

He stopped in his tracks just when Gin re-wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

"Listen I feel really bad 'bout yesterday so I'm gonna make it up too you."

Tsukune looked up at him with skepticism but Gin just smiled.

"I know how to get you back onto Moka-chan's good graces."

At that moment he was hooked on his words. Gin continued like a salesman who had found an easy mark.

"Y'hear about these peeping incidents that've been reported during the past few weeks?"

He had heard about those incidents and thought that they were just unavoidable problems. You get a large group of males and mix them with an equal size group of females, these incident were bound to happen. Gin looked around as if to make sure that no one was listening in and when seemed satisfied he came in close to his ear.

"I have it on good authority that these incidents were perpetrated by a single individual."

Tsukune's eyebrows rose in shock while Gin nodded in silent agreement.

"Shockin' I know but not too worry I'm following a hot lead that will most likely get us the culprit."

Again he gave Tsukune a winning smile but this time he wasn't bought over by it. First off he didn't understand how Gin finding a serial peeper helped him with Moka and secondly he didn't trust him. As if sensing Tsukune's distrust Gin spoke in a calm tone.

"Originally I wanted to find this sick bastard an' use this scoop as the newspaper club's first front page story. What I'm proposing is that I find this guy, write the story an' give it to you so that way Moka an' Kurumu-chan will forget about that incident an' if not..."

He placed his right hand over his heart and rose his left to the sky.

"I swear that I'll confess too peeking an' accept any punishment that the three-"

"Four."

"-Four of you deem proper. Deal?"

The thought mulled around in his head as Gin extended his hand to shake on it. The deal did seem to end in his favor either way. If a story about a serial peeper being caught had him as the captor it would definitely help with erasing his bad reputation and if it didn't help with Moka and Kurumu he would tell them the truth. Tsukune wanted to believe him but several things seemed to be out of order.

"Why? And how?"

Gin still held a charming smile as he answered his questions with great confidence.

"A good reporter can tell when a scoop is coming close to an end an' this one is in the bag and I wanted to help you. After all we're gonna be in the same club for at least two years, why not be friends?"

Tsukune looked him straight in the eye to try and find any type of deceit. What Gin had said made sense, if they were going to be together for two years why not make the best of it? He took Gin's hand and shook it firmly much to his delight.

"This is great! Ok so you know about the old buildin' on the south-east side of the academy?"

Tsukune nodded as he passed that building everyday. Gin clapped his shoulder wearing a proud grin.

"Excellent! Meet me there in three hours and our man will be there I promise."

He placed his face next to his and looked forward. His hand was raised in front of them, holding his digital camera.

"A memory."

A final flash of light spewed forth from the small camera, blinding Tsukune one last time. He turned only to find that Gin was no longer there. Thinking about what he had just agreed to he couldn't help but think that maybe he shouldn't have but thinking about how sincere and how his words made perfect sense allowed him to push that doubt deep down and ignore the dark chuckle in his mind.

* * *

(South east building-3 hours later)

Tsukune stood by the small building waiting for his sempai to show. Several students passed by giving him funny looks as he stood in front. Pacing back and forth he began to wonder if he was on a wild goose chase until he heard someone whistle at him. Gin was standing by the corner of the building ready with his digital camera, beckoning him to come. Tsukune quickly went to him who brought him to the side of the building. The alley between their intended building and the next was small, dingy, poorly lit and littered with empty metal drums. He watched Gin drag one of these drums under a window and jumped on top, positioning his camera at the right angle. Gin was still as he crouched on top of the metal drum apparently waiting for the right moment. Tsukune stood next to him waiting for him to snap the picture of the peeper when Gin lowered his camera and softly spoke one word.

"No..."

Horror stuck him as Gin jumped from his perch and stood in front of him like nothing had happened. This was his only chance to prove that he wasn't guilty and score some good rep points with his fellow classmates all at the same time and it was slipping away. It was getting to the point that he no longer knew what to do. He balled up his fist but still fought off the urge to lash out.

"Why?"

His voice was low and dangerous, completely out of character for him. Gin just stood there with that never changing smile which nearly brought to the edge. Finally Tsukune couldn't fight it any more, took a single step forward and started to cock back his fist. He pulled back as far as he could readying to let his fist fly when instead of staring at Gin's face he was facing the barrel of the camera.

"Doesn't seem fair that I do ALL of the work."

He held his camera in front of Tsukune's face, hovering inches away from him. Gin urged him to take the camera from him by pushing it forward. He took the camera from his sempai and climbed on top of the barrel. Turning to him Gin who gave him the 'go' sign was acting like a sentry. Tsukune felt a lump forming in his throat when he thought about what was going to happen and what might happened afterwords. Just as he was about to peek into the window an all to familiar numbness surrounded his body ceasing all movement.

_**'Hold on there Skippy this is a set up.'**_

If he could have Tsukune would have made his disbelief known to all. This was his only chance to make everything right and now this thing was telling him that it was a trap. As much as he wanted to ignore it's words he had to hear it out.

_'What are you talking about?'_

"What's taking so long?"

Gin was still looking out for other students, acting nervous as if they might get caught for something they shouldn't be doing.

_**'It's all in front of you Kiddo, the girl from before and him happening to be there-'**_

"Hurry up man!"

_**'And why is he acting so 'squirrely' all of a sudden? What's got him so agitated?'**_

Silence ran through both his body and mind as the feeling gradually returned to him. Camera still in hand he gazed up at the window and back to Gin. He was still looking around frantically when he twisted around and shoved the camera at him.

"Come on!"

Anger was present in his eyes as he walked back to his sentry spot. At that moment it clicked for Tsukune.

"There is no serial peeper...is there?"

Gin stopped looking out for students and slowly turned to him.

"What are you talking about? Of course there's a serial peeper."

"Then I'm looking at him."

At that point Gin made a bee-line at Tsukune. His eyes were dark and filled with malice as they stared each other down.

"You had to pick now to grow a brain?"

In a flash of movement the camera flew out of Tsukune's hand, rising several feet into the air. He tried to catch it but it landed in the palm of Gin's hand who was standing on top of the metal drum. Staring him straight in eye with an evil grin, Gin moved his arm towards the window not breaking eye contact he began snapping off dozens pictures. The entire area was lit up by the flashes of light and filled with intermittent shrieks of girls. Gin smoothly tossed the camera back to Tsukune who managed catch it and look up to see Gin pointing down the alley. His head swiveled back to hear an oncoming stampede of angry women coming around the corner. Most were still in their gym clothes while others were either hastily dressed or wrapped in towels but each had an hateful aura around them. They all directed their anger at him but Tsukune pointed back at Gin.

"N-not me! It was-"

He turned around only to find nobody was there anymore. Tsukune stared wide-eyed in disbelief even as several pairs of angry hands pulled him back. While being dragged away he could still feel Gin's charming smile on him and all he could do was whisper.

"How..."

* * *

(Location: Unknown-Time: Unknown)

Tsukune was tied up in some small utility shed for an unknown length of time. His body was beaten, bruised and scarred by the angry mob of girls and was slowly healing. They went at him mercilessly not allowing him chance to defend his character or self then tied him up and threw him in there. Nobody except the girls themselves knew where he was and somehow he doubted that they would come back for him.

"I'm going to die here...alone."

_**'We all die alone.'**_

He contemplated it's words with a heavy heart. As much of an optimist he was at heart it seemed to be true. After some length of time he tried to loosen his binds by struggling against them. Jumping up and down trying to find something sharp to cut his bindings he sat on something hard that was followed by a flash of light. Tsukune saw that he had landed on the digital camera which he guessed they must have thrown in with him. It was strange, his social life was over due to a pervert, a misunderstanding and a piece of digital hardware. The sound of shoes alerted him to the door in front of him, quickly raising his hopes. Swinging open gently it revealed the very last person he wanted to meet.

"YOU!"

Gin stood in the doorway, waving lightly.

"Howzit?"

Tsukune tried to jump at him but all that happened was he circled in the same spot over and over again. It was a cruel twist of fate. Gin walked up to him with both hands up in a mock surrender.

"Hey Tsukune-san I know I'm the last person you wanna see but..."

He walked up to him and pushed him off balance to pick up the camera from underneath. Tsukune glared with hatred burning in his eyes as Gin took the camera and pocketed it.

"It is my camera after all. I'll need it for the stor-"

"WHY?"

Gin avoided making eye contact with him as if he was ashamed of the question. After letting out a tired sigh he turned to him with a somewhat sorry expression.

"Listen you seem like a nice enough kid but-

"IS IT ABOUT THOSE RUMORS?"

It was Gin's turn to be angry as he gave Tsukune a dirty look.

"Oh c'mon man give me some credit! I know that those rumors are most likely crap. I'm a serious investigative reporter and know that over 90% of rumors are either false or grossly outta proportions especially the high school ones."

Still waiting for an answer, Tsukune gave him an angry and impatient look.

"I'm a sucker for the ladies an' that Moka is a beaut. Seeing you with her...well something about that picture just ain't right."

Tsukune couldn't believe what was coming out of his sempai's mouth.

"So this is all about Moka-san?"

"Of course man an' now that everybody knows about your little 'perversion' she'll have no choice but leave you and come crawling to the hero...me."

Tsukune tried to spit at him but his mouth was dry from previous hours of yelling. Gin let a small chuckle out as he watch him struggle on the floor. After a few moments Tsukune growled at him.

"She'll never believe you!"

A wolfish grin came across Gin's face after hearing his declaration.

"I s'pose that's a possibility, being in the the wrong place at the wrong time..."

Hearing that tone of voice worried him.

"Howwwever I'm thinking that several students would be able to place you in front of the girl's changing buildin' several minutes before the incident. Not to mention the girl who will come forth about her encounter with a peeper matching your description."

The metaphorical cogs in his brain turned as Gin continued with his prophecy of events to come.

"After she comes forth a whole bunch will come outta the woodwork claiming that it was you who violated their privacy."

"THAT WAS YOU!"

"They'd never saw me."

Gin still had that wolfish/smarmy smile as he made his way to the door. Tsukune managed to roll onto his stomach, staring at his back.

"I swear I'm gonna get you."

He stopped mid-step and slowly turned back to face him one last time.

"Y'know if the circumstances were different I'm sure we coulda been great friends. So long Tsukune-san."

He shut the door in a slow, dramatic fashion as if to signify the end. Tsukune was left alone with his thoughts and the thoughts of the relic. As he continued trying to loosen the cords around his wrists he couldn't help but speak to whomever was listening.

"I can't believe this...I trusted him!"

_**'Why are you so surprised by this? It's the same in your world too, trust someone enough to turn your back and lower your guard then get fucked in the ass! If you think about it I'm the most trust worthy person you know...that's a sad statement in itself.'**_

He tried to ignore it but it kept going on and on about how it was really his fault for falling into such an obvious trap and that he deserved everything that was coming to him. Managing to get onto his back he kicked the floor till his head hit the wall. Slowly but surely he made his way up until he felt his restraints snag on a sharp piece of metal jutting from the wall. Pushing and pulling across it's surface he felt the rope beginning to loosen. As he kept at the ropes the thing kept at him with little success until it mentioned one possibility.

_**'Speaking of getting fucked in the ass...I wonder what he's going to your girl?"**_

That one question threw him off balance. He hadn't thought about what Gin was going to do to her now that he was tied up. Once it found a chord to pluck it went on.

_**'A guy like that doesn't take no for an answer...'**_

He didn't want to think about it but his mind couldn't help but go to several dark places. The thing started to taunt him with a high pitched girly voice.

_**'OH NO! What are you DOING?'**_

Tsukune slammed his head against the wall trying to silence the voice but it went on with it's sick, twisted scenario. The metal sliver dug into his back but felt nothing as the adrenaline pumped through his system.

_**'Please put that away!'**_

"STOP IT!"

_**'OOH! It's so BIIGGG!'**_

The blood coursing in his veins felt like hot liquid lead and the ropes tightened immensely against his skin. He could picture it all in his head like some horror movie. All outside noise was lost on him along with any attempt to cut himself free as he listened to it's every word.

_**'Yes! Yes! YES!'**_

At that moment he let out a feral howl which it copied with sadistic delight. Immediately after the duo's scream session the door was kicked in by two small bodies. Both Kurumu and Yukari came in with every attempt on rescuing him only to step back aghast at the sight they saw. Tsukune tied up in a corner, veiny-eyed and foaming at the mouth. His body seemed so puffed out that his restraints audibly strained. Kurumu stepped forward with timid steps as Tsukune raged in his own head. Spittle issued from his mouth as he growled at the space between them. While he thrashed in his corner she managed to subdue him and Yukari tried to get him to snap out of his psychosis.

"TSUKUNE-SAN, STOP!"

Tsukune tried to buck Kurumu off him but she held on strong. Yukari tried to get through by talking him down but it seemed like nothing she said was getting through. Finally she raised her wand up high conjuring a large bronzed washtub, hovering above them quietly. She swung her wand down and the tub followed with equal force upon both their heads. Kurumu had released her grip on him and fell to the floor unconscious and Tsukune was silent. He sat still in that little corner quiet as a graveyard with his entire body pulsing like a heart. Yukari placed her wand underneath his chin and used it to lift his head up. His eyes were hollow, absent of all previous emotions which scared her more than anything else.

"Tsukune-san? We know-"

"OW!"

Kurumu rose from the ground nursing a large lump. Grabbing the girl by the collar she shook her viciously.

"WHY'D YOU HIT ME?"

She kept on shaking her even as Yukari yelled at the top of her lungs and raised her wand once more. Immediately another bronzed washtub appeared above her and fell with significantly less force than before but on the right spot. Kurumu quickly let go of her to tend the wound on her head while Yukari brushed the wrinkles from her school uniform and glared angrily.

"As I was saying we know what really happened today-Desu."

Tsukune looked forward, emotionless and silent as if waiting for a further explanation. Yukari took the hint and went further into detail.

"It's all over the school about what happened. Everyone thinks that your guilty but we know the truth especially about Gin-sempai."

Not a single word came out of his mouth, it was almost as if he had given up and neither could understand why. Kurumu made her way behind him to untie the ropes then crouched in front, waving her hand in front of his face. Worried she tried talking to him.

"Yukari-chan told me about what really happened yesterday-"

"Yeah! He must've forgot I was there with all of you-Desu!"

"Uh-huh, she explained everything to me and we all know that you're too chivalrous to peep into the girl's changing room."

Some of their words must have reached him at some level because he managed to look up at them with a glimmer of hope.

"Moka-san?"

His voice was weak but yet at the same time so overpowering that the girls flinched at those two words. They looked at each other with the same nervous expressions but Kurumu was the first to answer his somewhat simply stated question.

"The last time I saw her was this afternoon...she said that she had some thinking to do and went up to the roof I think."

Yukari placed her hand to her chin and held an expression of deep thought.

"That's weird, I saw Gin-sempai going up there before we got here..."

Tsukune shot up from the ground, scaring both girls to the point of jumping up against the walls of the little shack. He took a single step out the door to be greeted by the crisp night air and the light of a full moon rising. He squinted at the tallest tower and was able to make out the outline of a single person leaning against the railings. The heart beating in his chest sounded like rolling thunderclaps as he stood transfixed by the lone figure and whispered three little words.

"There's still time..."

Completely unaware that both Yukari and Kurumu were standing right behind him. Both looked at each other with curious looks and asked each other what he meant. He spun around to face the girls with a frighteningly determined look. Though it was dark outside they could see his eyes, clear as day. They seemed to hold an internal fire behind them that practically burned their very souls.

"Let's go."

* * *

(Academy-Rooftops)

Her hair swayed in the moonlit breeze of the night as she contemplated on the days events. It was certainly a strange one even by this school's standards. First Tsukune tried to convince her that their sempai was a pervert and blamed him the first day they met then he peeps in the girl's lockers? It didn't make any sense. The wind picked up causing chills to run down her spine which she responded by wrapping her small frame with her arms. Out of nowhere she felt someone place a jacket on her body which nearly shocked her. She spun around to see Gin behind her still holding on to her shoulders.

"You look cold."

She took his jacket but turned her head away as if ashamed by something. Gin removed his hands from her a stood next to her by the railings, leaning his back against them. Though she didn't say a word Gin spoke as if they were in a conversation.

"I can understand why you thought I was Tsukune-san."

She stood still but he kept on talking.

"I s'pose you're wonderin' if the current rumors about him are true."

She gazed up at him hopefully but it was his turn to look away ashamed. Gin reached into his pocket and tossed a camera to her. Her eyebrows furrowed while he continued with they're one-sided conversation.

"They found this on him at the scene of the crime, full of pictures...rather lewd ones."

Moka gazed at the camera in her hands as Gin went into further details about how Tsukune was caught red handed by both the girl's lacrosse and softball teams. As he went on he heard her mutter something under her breath.

"What was that?"

At that moment her face showed an emotion that he never expected to see. Suspicion. She brought the camera up to his face in an accusing manner.

"I said Tsukune doesn't own a camera."

Gin to a small step back, licked his bottom lip and scratched his cheek. He glanced around nervously as if to make sure the were alone on the roof top.

"O-Oh...well he probably got it from somebody...o-or maybe bought it at the school store."

She took a closer examination of the camera.

"This is a pretty nice camera and the ones at the school store are kinda cheap."

The camera disappeared from her hand in an instant and reappeared in his own. Quickly pocketing it he held his trademark smile and let out a small chuckle.

"Well it's not important where he got it just that he had it."

He placed his hands on her shoulders once again and tried to lead her towards the door but she stood firm. He faced her with evident confusion when she removed his jacket from her body and gave it back to him. Taking the coat back Gin asked her why she gave him one simple answer.

"I'm going to wait for Tsukune. I want to hear his side of the story."

He gawked in amazement as she returned to the railings, watching the night sky. He stood behind her with arms out.

"What are you talkin' about? The evidence is overwhelmin' and he'll probably lie to you."

Not even turning around she told him.

"He hasn't lied to me yet and he won't now."

The roof was silent for just a few seconds with the only noises coming from the night itself. The silence of the roof was broken by the sound of laughter. Gin's laughter. She was confused by this especially when he turned her to face him. He was different than before as his eyes held a predatory glint that seemed to be amplified by the moonlight.

"God you're so innocent! If you keep that up...I might just fall in love."

She watched as his hair grew out along with his teeth and nails. He tried to kiss her but was stopped when she pushed his face away. He held on tighter as she struggled against his advances. The metal rails pushed up against her back as he tried to bend her backwards. As he came closer to her, his breath washed over her face and hands gripped tightly around her.

"HEY!"

The sudden outburst not only saved her from the would be ravishing from her sempai but killed the mood for him. Still gripping her he looked around trying to find who else was on the rooftop with them. After a minute he saw both Kurumu and Yukari standing by the doorway, ready for war but he knew that it wasn't them who yelled at him. A shadow was cast from the doorway followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. Tsukune stepped out into the moonlight showing his somewhat new features. His brown eyes seem to glow in the night and his clothes stretched across his entire body. He rose his engorged hand and pointed a large, accusing finger at Gin.

"Get your hands off her you damn, dirty lech!"

Gin scowled in disgust at Tsukune's form and let out a wicked snarl. The girls that stood near him backed away slowly as his body continued to pulse like a giant heartbeat. Moka let out a small gasp as she noticed his body swelled further only by the slightest. Gin released his grip on her, watching all four of them group together. He crossed his arms and gave Tsukune an ugly sneer.

"Well it looks like you were freed...too bad it doesn't help your current situation."

Tsukune stomped towards him, stopping halfway between the group and Gin himself. The seams of his clothes strained against his expanding flesh and muscles along with several dozen veins running across his body. He exposed his teeth in a fierce manner and growled at him.

"It's over! They know the truth now, you've over played your hand."

Gin let out a harsh, callous laugh.

"Over played my hand? Hardly! The whole school's heard by this afternoon's incident so it's your word against mine! With your shoddy rep and my stellar record who d'you think their gonna believe?"

"My friends-"

"Their word is worth less than yours! Unless you miraculously come up with some solid proof...you're screwed!"

His laughter was loud and obnoxious which grated against Tsukune's absolute last nerve. He braced himself, readying to attack however Gin just put his hands in his pockets and gave him a cocky smile. The thing whispered in his ear, mentioning sick and demented tortures and perverse situations which finally drove him over the edge.

"Fine...then I'll just beat a confession outta you!"

Tsukune ran at him full force with his fist cocked back ready to unleash all the pent up rage he had for the man. The excited screams from the girls and the mask filled his ears as he closed in on his intended target. He threw a punch at him but Gin nimbly side-stepped it. He let loose a barrage of slow but powerful punches which were dodged every time. Finally he delivered a right hook with all his might but Gin caught his wrist with one hand and used the other to choke slam him to the floor. He struggled against him while his grip tightened around his throat. Gin's face came nose to nose with his, showing his feral eyes.

"Is that the best you got? 'Cause if it is..."

Jet black hair grew around his face along with gray fur on it. His jaws jutted out to an intense point, showing off rows of sharp fangs. Claws dug into the flesh around his neck as his yellow eyes stared into his own. He howled at the moon and swung his head back down with a vicious grin.

"YOUR FUCKED!"

Gin lifted him off the ground with one hand to deliver a powerful kick to his gut. Tsukune was propelled across the rooftop, skipping across the ground like a stone. Each hit was followed by the sounds of cracking bone and the bouncing of his body on concrete. His body slammed against the tempered steel of the railings. He attempted to push himself up but instead felt a knee crash into his chest. When he tried to yell out in pain a clawed hand entered his mouth and pulled him up to eye level. Without warning Tsukune bit down onto his attacker's fingers who howled in pain. He let go of his hold only to regret it. Gin unleashed a flurry of jabs to his stomach over and over with little to no mercy. Tsukune screamed in pain as each punch connected with it's target with enough force to cause blood to fly from his mouth and splatter across the floor. After one last jab Gin unleashed an immense uppercut that sent him through the air. Traveling upwards he could hear the snide comments of the thing in his ear.

_**'You are getting your ass handed to you on a silver platter! DO SOMETHING!'**_

That was enough to knock enough sense into him to open his eyes and braced himself for the next attack. The moment he shifted Gin materialized out of thin air, twisting at high speeds. Out of sheer instinct Tsukune brought his arms up in time to experience a quick spin kick which had enough force to knock him over the metal railings and onto the terracotta shingles. He slid down the side at tremendous speeds. He tried to grab onto the shingles but they were just pulled out of place every time he did. Finally he grasped onto the edge of the roof, dangling at the very top. Screams could be heard followed by someone running in his direction. All three of the girls showed at the railing, leaning over the side. Immediately Moka and Kurumu tried to climb over but both were violently pulled back. Yukari took out her wand which disappeared before she could do anything. Attempting to hang on his fingers slowly slipped from underneath him.

_**'This little piggy went to market...'**_

His hands began sweat which made the situation worse. He desperately tried to pull himself up only to find that his strength was being drained away. All of a sudden his left hand slipped away entirely from the roof and swung uselessly by his side. With only one hand he attempted to pull himself up only to have two more of his fingers slip. Hanging on with dear life his digits quickly tired out. With his last bit of strength he gazed upwards to see all three of them trying to reach him one more time but it was to late. The moment they got one leg over the rails was the moment he fell, silently swallowed up by the dark abyss.

All three girls stood still, each showing their grief in their individual ways. Yukari stood their with solemn eyes and Kurumu fell to her knees sobbing uncontrollably Moka however was reacting the worst. She stood their not moving a single muscle with terror filled eyes. This was the second time she watched him fall into nothing. Flashbacks of their first day with him being swallowed up by the sea and now the night itself. Her entire body quivered as she replayed what had just happened moments ago. She and Kurumu were climbing over the railing to rescue him, strong arms wrapped themselves around their waists and then they were on the other side of the rooftop. When they finally got back they saw him fall to oblivion.

"Tsk tsk..."

All three of them turned to see Gin standing by himself, looking down at the ground. He turned his gaze upwards to show actual regret.

"It's too bad...he was a really nice guy...it's just that I'm really competitive."

He looked away in shame as they glared daggers, sending him all of their hatred. Kurumu rose from the ground with saber-like fingernails erupting from the tips of her fingers. She rushed at him with everything she was worth but missed as he vanished. Her nails sliced through the steel cleanly but to her dismay it wasn't what she wanted. She felt his palm lay gently on the small of her back causing her to react by swinging around but was pushed to the ground. She skidded gently across the concrete, scraping her along the way. She was about to push herself up when his shoes stepped in front of her line of sight.

Kurumu looked up to see him examining his nails for non-existent dirt. The sheer amount of confidence he exuded was almost suffocating. Gin looked down at her with a smug smile.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to even nick me. Just as vampire's are creatures of power, us werewolves are of speed. The brighter the moonlight the faster we become and tonight it's the brightest I've ever seen!"

She lunged at his feet but they moved out of her reach. He stood in front of them with a bold cockiness about him that just screamed 'I am better than you' which none of them could stand. Yukari charged at him but was stopped after he placed his hand on her forehead and pushed her to the side. He just laughed at them, laughed like he was invincible and no one could stop him.

The rooftops shook like a tremor had just hit them. Gin tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. Yukari crawled her way to Kurumu who was huddled in the middle of the rooftop. As quickly as it started it ended with absolutely no sign of the cause. The only person who was still standing was Moka who experienced another flashback of her first day. While the others tried to make sense of what had happened she knew what was going on. Another tremor raked through the tops then stopped then another started only to stop again. They occurred intermittently for about a second and though they weren't nearly as powerful as the first one they were just as frightening. Moka ran towards her friends and pulled both of them back in the nick of time. A large shadowy being jumped clear over the steel railings and landed right where the girls were moments before. The sound of cracking concrete echoed throughout the night as the person slammed down hard.

Even though the person was crouched over everyone could tell that he was big. His frame was extremely large and bulky. His entirety was bulging and covered with tiny, pulsating veins along with shredded clothing. As he slowly unfurled he began to show more of himself to them. He was covered with muscles and possessed mammoth hands which could easily hold an entire person with. His height was astounding almost gargantuan in stature and his face was covered by a bone-white mask. The mask itself was the most terrifying thing about this new person. It was shaped like the face of a human skull but instead of a jaw it had a grill which curved into a evil grin. It hid everything on his face except for two yellow lights that burned in it's sockets. They all watched transfixed as it swung it's titanic arm and pointed a thick finger at Gin.

"Time for round 2."

The voice did not match the body at all. It was angry but the giant's form radiated brutality and rage. Two out of three of the girls were shocked after hearing him speak and Gin held an excited grin. He clapped enthusiastically while speaking in a gleeful tone.

"Well, well you're one tough son of'va bitch I'll give you that!"

Gin jumped up and down trying to get his blood pumping. Tsukune cracked his knuckles, neck, shoulders and every other joint in his body. All the girls watched as the two circled each other, ready to go at it. Even though they were all amazed at what was happening Kurumu was especially shocked. She watched as his giant muscles grew on top each other, throbbing with their own life force. Veins bulged around his back and legs and his body seemed to moan all on it's own. Taking all of this in the only thing she could say was...

"Eww!"

She had nothing against muscles but when it went to this extreme she would prefer a string bean over a muscle bound juggernaut. Suddenly Gin sprung into action by disappearing in front of them but this time Tsukune was able react. He was able to see when Gin decelerated enough to make sudden turns and was able to make a guess on where he would appear next. Extending his arm out he stepped forward and swung, ready to take his head off. The air hummed when he missed as Gin bent over backwards, nearly touching the ground. In less than a second Tsukune made a complete rotation, rose both fists in the air then brought them down. A cloud of dust and concrete shards exploded from the impact site. He lifted his fists only to show two sunken marks on the floor. A sharp whistle alerted him to the other side of the roof which was where Gin stood, waving cheekily.

"I'm glad you're not dead. It would've been a real bitch trying to explain that."

He swiped his thumb over his snout in a cocky manner.

"You're good but still way to slow!"

Gin suddenly charged at him full force with his claws extended. Tsukune brought his hand up, ready to grab him when Gin quickly side-stepped it again and jumped onto his shoulder. As soon as he landed he delivered a sharp elbow to the back of his head then jumped off. The moment Tsukune felt him jump from his perch he swung his hand in an effort to back fist him. The moment he turned he felt someone's clawed hand grip his wrist and use it like a gymnast's bar. Using the momentum of Tsukune's swing Gin swung upwards and landed a powerful kick to the face.

A sly smile crept onto Gin's face. He was winning hands down like he had predicted. Out of every fight he had ever been in he had only lost once. Like a spring board he used Tsukune's face to launch himself forward but something strange happened. At that moment something powerful gripped his leg, nearly crushing the bones. He was then jerked backwards, crashing into Tsukune's chest which was as hard as granite. He wrapped his arms around his body, putting him into a uber-bear hug. Every joint in his body popped at once and his lungs felt like they were collapsing. His arms tightened at a steady rate, crushing his victim like a snake. Gin wriggled in his clutch, managing to free one of his claws and attacked his face. The claws raked across the mask leaving only a trail of sparks in their wake. After seeing his attack had no affect on him Gin performed a final desperate attack by opening his mouth wide and clamped down around his throat.

Tsukune released his hold on Gin, who dangled for a few seconds until he finally let go. Gin backed up as far as he could without looking like he was afraid of him. Tsukune fell to his knees, holding onto his neck and watched the blood spill from his wound onto the floor.

_'I'M DYING! HELP ME I'M DYING!'_

_**'RELAX!'**_

Like a video tape being rewound the blood flew back into his neck which then sealed. He rubbed his throat anxiously and breathed heavily.

_**'Jesus! first sign of blood and you're crying like a school girl.'**_

After a moments rest he got back onto his feet to check on the damage he caused. Gin was holding his side while breathing deeply. He swayed lightly in his spot then hacked up a handful blood. Without notice he started to run to the side but was quickly pursued. While his speed was decreased severely it was still to much for Tsukune who was going after him with all the power his newly formed legs had. Gin was only a few feet ahead of him as Tsukune was reaching ramming speeds. A blast sounded behind him followed by a pelting of stone chips. Gin looked over his shoulder only to see a fist coming down where he was milliseconds ago. Tsukune continued to rain down blows, trying his hardest to hit his Gin but only to miss by inches. After the third time Gin had enough of running from him. As the fourth fist hit the floor Gin spun around to face him head on. Tsukune already had his fist raised up high, exposing his weak spots. A rather large cement chunk hovered in front of Gin who immediately came up with an idea. He mustered up what ever strength he had left, aimed, then delivered a kick. It didn't connect with Tsukune but rather the chunk. It zipped through the air between them and made it's way to it's intended target, his chin.

It popped him right under the mask's protective shielding, forcing him to look up to the moon. His fist came down upon the floor once more showing that he had missed. Looking down only to find that he was no longer in front of him.

"HEY!"

Tsukune spun around to see both Yukari and Kurumu laying down on their backs but Moka was gone. A high pitch scream alerted him to her whereabouts. She was in the clutches of their sempai, arm looped under her chest. He stood behind her using her body as a human shield. Tsukune started to make his way to them but stopped when he held her tighter against his body. Tsukune tried to come up with a plan but his rage increased when he witnessed Gin sniffing her hair and body.

"Oh Moka-chan you smell so good! No wonder every guy wants you!"

He then gripped her chest and started to massage it roughly.

"Soft yet firm, perfect! I'm going to enjoy making you my wo-YIP!"

He quickly released her from his perverted grasp to tend to his leg. Sticking out from his thigh was a pair of metal scissors jammed deep into his muscle. Moka quickly made her way back to the group, showing a bloody hand. Gin tenderly touched it only to hiss in pain and pull back. After a few moments he grabbed it with both hands and ripped it out. Blood spurted from the wound then dribbled down his pant leg. He was so preoccupied with his wound that the sound of monstrous foot steps didn't register with him till a pair of overstretched sneakers stepped in front of him. Slowly he looked up to the masked face of Tsukune. The yellow lights burned brighter as shadows overlapped the contours of the mask. He took in a deep breath and exhaled a shower of cold steam which exited through the grill.

Gin tried his hardest to get up quickly but his wound hindered him greatly. He managed to get a few feet away but only because he let him. Tsukune started to follow him and caught up with minimal effort. A giant hand grabbed then slammed him to the floor. He could feel his powerful fingers penetrate the concrete around Gin, securing his place beneath the palm of his hand. Tsukune brought his fist in front of Gin's face.

"CONFESS!"

To Gin's credit he stared down his imminent doom with a look of defiance, absolutely no fear was present in his eyes. He started to make a deep hacking noise signaling that he was about to release a ball of phlegm but stopped when added pressure was quickly applied to his chest. He prematurely released the glob of spit up into the air and fell back down onto him. Tsukune's yellow eyes burned brighter as his palm pressed down on his victim who finally showed that he was in pain.

"Alright I confess! It was me who peeped on those girls. I did it and I'm glad, GLAD I tell you!"

He relieved the pressure on Gin allowing him to breath a little easier. Tsukune looked back at the group to see them all smiling, happy that this whole ugly mess was over. Their good mood was ruined when Gin let out a harsh laugh. Tsukune looked down to see Gin looking up with a nasty grin.

"Why are you guys so happy? So you managed to beat a confession outta me, keyword BEAT! Fat lotta luck it will do for you. Without actual proof you have nothing...the people's burden."

His laughter pierced through his brain. He was right about it all. It wasn't fair, after all that had happened to him and now that he got a confession it was worthless! He raised his fist up high, ready to end him. Gin just smiled as he watched the fist come down.

"Come on! Till I'm nothing but a memory!"

An explosion of dust covered the entire rooftop. The force was so tremendous that the area shook so hard, dislodging several shingles out of place which rained down on the cement tops. The girls couldn't believe what had happened. It was brutal to watch Tsukune beat their sempai to a literal pulp, it was the complete opposite of what they knew of him to be. The concrete dust began to settle a little to reveal Tsukune's breathing form still crouched over and fist still in the ground. He removed his hand from the concrete, dust and bits fell from the tips that were embedded. Kurumu tried to run out to him but was held back by the others. This wasn't the Tsukune she knew, this was a true monster.

After a while the dust completely cleared away showing all of the damage he had caused. His fist was ground into the concrete, bits of it and terracotta surrounded the area. Tsukune removed himself from the spot, revealing something shocking. Gin was still alive, breathing fast and shallow. His eyes dilated showing all the adrenaline that was pumping through his system, Tsukune's fist had missed by a few inches. The girls jumped with joy and relief, glad that he was a murderer. Tsukune's free hand suddenly moved towards Gins pants and began to ruffled through them.

"Hey-HEY! I DON'T GO THAT WAY!"

Tsukune managed to fit one of his large fingers into his pocket and ripped it open, contents spilling all over the ground. Out of his personal items the digital camera was what Tsukune grabbed. Gin tried to get it back but was pushed away with relative ease. Using his pinky finger Tsukune did his best to flip through the pictures stored on it's memory. Once more Gin tried to snatch it away but now a giant foot block any future attempts. After a couple minutes of carefully browsing he struck gold. Putting down his foot he showed Gin the picture he landed on.

"Apparently this was a good memory."

The picture in question was the one Gin took of them together. He was looking forward holding a big toothy smile while Tsukune was looking at him with confusion. He didn't understand what the picture was supposed to prove until he took a closer look. It was the smallest detail but the most damning. His eyes traveled along his own arm until it disappeared off screen. It put the camera in his hands.

"And guess what comes after this picture."

He didn't have to guess he knew what came after that picture. His entire plan was unraveling at the seams. Damned by his cockiness. He watched Tsukune tossed the camera over his shoulder, travel all the way across the rooftop and caught by Moka. He crossed his arms and jutted out his chin.

"It seems that the people's burden is now YOUR burden."

That was a low blow to say the least. Gin wasn't just bruised physically but his ego too. Grasping at straws Gin quickly came up with an idea.

"I'll admit you may have something but all I have to do is say that you stole it from me."

It was Gin's turn to cross his arms in a smug, victorious manner. He had expected Tsukune to admit defeat but he didn't. Instead he jutted his thumb over his shoulder.

"Against your confession and witnesses?"

Gin's arm's quickly unfurled in frantic fury. He pointed at the group and snarled.

"They'll never believe them! Guys will just think that they're covering for you!"

Tsukune poked him in the chest with a powerful finger.

"If they were smart! But like you said guys want to be with Moka-san and Kurumu-san so bad that they'll probably believe whatever they tell them."

He couldn't believe it, he was outsmarted . His entire master plan ruined by a single photo. Gin fell to his knees unable to comprehend what had happened. Though Gin was deviously cunning and had a habit of taking things to far he knew when he was beaten. He accepted his defeat gracefully. Tsukune on the other hand walked away from him and the others telling them that he would see them tomorrow. He squeezed his giant body through the doorway and quietly disappeared from their sight.

* * *

(Several days later)

_Rumors of a serial peeper roaming around the grounds of the academy have been confirmed! Several of the female populace have reported incidents of having the privacy violated to an unknown assailant. Youkai academy newspaper has uncovered the identity of this man. The person is none other than Morioka Ginei president of the newspaper club. For several weeks Morioka-san has peeped in on a numerous amount of female students without being identified. If it weren't for the fact that he tried to frame one of his own club members, Aono Tsukune, who hoped on using his own reputation against him he may have never been caught. Morioka-san was caught after a brief but grand altercation with said student and later confessed to the crime after shown damning evidence, a picture placing a camera that was found on Aono-san's person in Morioka-san's possession before Aono-san's capture. More details on this story continue on page 7._

_Written by Sendou Yukari._

As Tsukune finished reading the article that was written about the incident between him and Gin he turned to the writer with disbelief. All of the newspaper club was outside the school handing out their first issues of the Youkai academy's newpaper.

"Yukari-san! Why did you write about the fight!"

Yukari wiggled her finger at him.

"Uh-uh Tsukune-san, I wrote that you two had an altercation not a fight and besides it'll help with yo street cred."

She landed an affectionate punch on his arm which he rubbed gingerly. Droves of students swamped them, trying their hardest to get one of the limited copies. They read the stories avidly as they flipped through the pages. Most appeared to have apologetic looks about them as if they were ashamed of what they thought of him but others stared at him with an even deeper fear. It wasn't what he was aiming for but it was better then everyone thinking him a pervert. At that moment Moka appeared behind them with a paper in her hand.

"Yukari-chan it says here that Gin-sempai is in the medical building with cracked ribs and a injured leg.

"What's wrong with that?"

Moka still had her eyes glued to her paper.

"But it also says what room he's in and the security around it."

She held an impish grin and pointed towards the medical building. A large group of girls holding lacrosse sticks and baseball bats were making their way to the medical building each with a copy of the Youkai Academy newspaper hidden in their skirt pockets. The three of them watched as the entered the building one by one not having to wonder what their destination was. Kurumu snuck up behind him and jumped on his back. Wrapping her arms and legs around him she leaned in and whispered closely.

"Betcha glad you're not Gin-sempai now."

* * *

(A/N)

Sorry this one took so long but to make up for it this chapter is twice as long as make usual chapters. I'm glad that I got such positive reviews and to those who think that I'm hanging to close to the canon I agree but I promise that it's only temporary. And to those who think that the mask is just a spectator I assure that it is not. Change takes time you don't just wake up one morning and go 'Hey I'm going to do the exact opposite from what I normally do!' true insanity is achieved not given! On a side note I found out that Desu can either mean 'it is' or 'death' so it begs the question...is Yukari obsessed with death?

"In Tobi We Trust!"


	6. The Black Artist

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

"_Without wearing any mask we are conscious of, we have a special face for each of our friends"_

_Oliver Wendell Holmes_

The Black Artist

A month had nearly passed since the four had joined the newspaper club and things were finally beginning to settle down. After the whole serial peeper incident Tsukune's reputation took a turn for the better. While most were still ignoring him some people would actually wave at him in the hallways. Gin was released from the hospital two weeks earlier with a somewhat clean bill of health. While the injuries he sustained from Tsukune were serious the worst one was from Moka. The scissors she had penetrated the deep tissue of his leg and now had to use a cane for a short period of time. When asked if he was upset about it all he would tell them was.

"Yeah but the pain pills are worth it!"

After the whole incident on the roof Gin had realized his boundaries with the girls and no longer peeped or made any kind of sexual advances towards them. He was still friendly with them; watching them after classes, giving them tips on potentially hot leads and offering his 'sage' like wisdom. Life was slowing down for Tsukune and loved it but his inhabitant was growing restless.It yelled and raged in his head more and more each passing day. He could feel its anger mounting as he grew calmer. As he became placid, its mood turned more turbulent. The only thing that actually annoyed him these days was all of its whining.

_**'I HATE YOU!'**_

As wrong as it might have been Tsukune was enjoying its suffering. The creature was always trying to get him to perform actions that were against his nature; always making fun of him by saying he had no guts, It was nice to see it suffering because the more he ignored it the angrier it became. On a few occasions it paralyzed his body like several times before but he just rode through it and after awhile it would always let him go, in a sick way it was like a really fun game. Shouting in his head the eldritch artifact began to vent its frustrations.

_**'DAMN IT I CAME INTO THIS PATHETIC EXISTANCE FOR THE 3 D'S!'**_

_'The three D's?'_

_**'Discord, Destruction, Death.'**_

Tsukune chuckled lightly to himself; it was totally like the thing to give an answer like that. All of its boasting of ultimate knowledge of the cosmos and universal truths, it had a truly simplistic mind. As much as he hated it he also pitied it. He was surrounded by people who cared about him and in his mind the thing was jealous. His being was finally at ease; really all he had to complain about was the lack of sleep. The dreams were changing each and every night. Some nights they would show the past lives of people and other nights it would be about the future. Some nights it was neither but rather a place where time didn't exist. A place that was forgotten by all things and people, inhabited by those doomed to live in obscurity. Though each night was different the result was the same. He would wake in the middle of the night covered in cold sweats. That was his only complaint. He would give almost anything for a decent night's sleep, strange how he never appreciated it until now.

The days that had past were uneventful but pleasant. It seemed that when people weren't planning on framing or killing him this school was about as average as any other high school. There were fights, love triangles, rumors, upcoming tests, etc etc. All these things and more were written about in the Youkai Academy newspaper and each one of the club members were in charge of their own part of the newspaper. Moka was in charge of the front page stories along with Tsukune. Kurumu wrote a weekly article she liked to call ' Fashion Beyond the Barriers'. It was supposed to be about what she believed o be the current fashions in the human world but her fashion sense was a few years behind. Yukari wrote horoscopes that were surprisingly accurate along with several interest stories. All Gin did was look over their stories and see if they were good enough. It was a simple system that made everything easier. Tsukune would often wonder if he liked that more than being with his friends. Ever since he got here every day was a literal fight for survival, either for his life or soul. This club was a little getaway from all that.

As he watched everybody working hard (or in Gin's case hardly working) a small contented smile graced his lips. This is what life was about, good friends and good times. He may trade almost anything for a good night's sleep but not this, not for a million of them. As he worked alongside them the creature tried its damnedest to get some sort of rise out of him but it knew that it wouldn't. Tsukune was in too good of mood, especially this week. It was going his birthday in six days, he would be sixteen. His past birthdays with his family were pleasant enough. Dinner at some nice restaurant then a nice piece of cake at home but this year it was going to be different. He already knew that the others were planning a surprise party for him. Often Yukari, Kurumu and even Gin would come together, whispering to each other. Once he saw Kurumu buying flour, eggs and cake icing from the school store. It was really nice of them and he was happy that he had such friends that would go the distance for him but a party wasn't what he wanted.

While the others were planning their 'surprise' party for him Moka didn't seem to care. When she wasn't studying or working at the newspaper club she was nose deep in some art magazine. She showed no signs of knowing about his upcoming day. Even though she showed no interest Tsukune knew deep down that she must have been planning something for him and all he really wanted on his birthday was to hang out with her and tell her one thing.

_'I love you Moka-san.'_

In over three months and the several incidents that occurred it finally hit him. She stayed with him through it all even on the first day when he revealed his secret to her. She was beautiful, smart and reliable, everything a person could want in another and more so he felt that it was time. While he was caught in his own little daydreams a cold laugh rung through his head once more as the relic was about to let its thoughts known.

_**'You love her? Kids today, thinking with your genitals instead of your brains. You've known this girl-'**_

_'Moka-san!'_

_**'Whatever! All I'm saying is that you've known her for 3 months and you say that you're in love with her? Bullshit!'**_

Tsukune just shook his head lightly, what did this thing know about love? He was sure that it knew nothing. These thoughts were responded swiftly by a snarling tone.

_**'You have risked our life for this girl just for the off chance that she'll touch you in your 'special place'. That ends today.'**_

Tsukune mentally scoffed.

_'Our lives? What's this our lives business? It's my body.'_

_**'Which I now inhabit in case you've forgotten and trust me when I say that dead you're useless to me.'**_

Again Tsukune shook his head lightly with a small grin.

_'No matter how much you try you won't upset or disturb me. At the end of this week Moka-san and I will be celebrating my birthday together and-'_

_**'It's your birthday this week?'**_

That question momentarily knocked him off his self righteous rant. The thing which had brought him so much inner suffering was curious about his birthday? Tentatively he mentally answered the artifacts question.

_'Y-Yes it is.'_

_**'What are you? 11, 12?'**_

_'16!'_

_**'Ooh 16 huh? That's a big deal for you.'**_

_'Yes it is.'_

Tsukune puffed out his chest with pride, like it had stated this was a big deal for him. Still in a prideful state of mind he had nearly missed the spiteful remark the mask had shot him.

_**'Now you can finally have a coming out party.'**_

He slumped his shoulders in defeat; an aggravated sigh passing through his lips. He couldn't help but feel that he walked into that. Finally he rubbed his eyes and let out a tired laugh.

_'So now I'm gay?'_

_**'Of course not!'**_

_'Well good cause I'm-'_

_**'I like the gays.'**_

"...Huh?"

As soon as the word escaped his lips he quietly checked to see if anyone noticed. They didn't but he made sure to keep his thoughts internalized for now on.

_**'I said I like the gays. I like their music, fashion sense, what they've done to Halloween. Not to mention that more often than not they refer to hair care items as product...adorable.'**_

Tsukune didn't know what to say. His mouth stood slightly open as his eyebrow rose to the left.

_'W-What about-'_

_**'You? Your very essence repulses me."**_

_'But you talked about my coming out party...'_

_**'A party in which a young women is presented to high society! Don't you get it by now? You act like a girl and I call you a girl, that's our thing! Nothing to do with sexuality, you homophobe.' **_

Tsukune said and thought nothing for he knew that nothing could be said or done to change its sick mind. The sound of a cane slapping down on the teachers desk caught all of their attentions. Gin rose from his seat and limped his way towards the door and lightly pushed it open. He reached into his pocket to pull out a small medicine bottle and twiddled it in-between his fingers.

"All right everybody out! We'll reconvene tomorrow."

One by one they made their way to the door. Yukari and Kurumu were whispering at each other with quick hushed tones. The only time they stopped their quiet conversation was to look up at Gin who gave them a quick but knowing wink. Next was Moka who didn't even bother looking up as she buried her nose deeper into her magazine. Tsukune was the last person besides Gin in the room. He made his way to the door but was stopped when a cane blocked his path. He turned to the side to see Gin standing in the doorway with the tiniest hint of a grin.

"Couldn't help but notice that you're kinda outta it today..."

Jutting his thumb down the hall he gave a somewhat cheeky wink.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Tsukune's brows scrunched together showing his evident confusion. Gin jutted his thumb once more down the hall.

"Moka-chan? Ignorin' you with an art magazine. D'you do somethin' to piss her off?"

Tsukune shook his head.

"No just really tired that's all."

Gin nodded his head and continued to twiddle the prescription bottle between his fingers with his free hand. Lowering his cane he popped the cap and knocked back a single pill. He dry swallowed the pill then as it traveled down his esophagus a shiver traveled up his spine. Immediately he smacked his lips and closed the bottle.

"Damn that's good!"

Gin took several deep breaths through his nose almost like he reached some sort of paradise. With his eyes shut tight like he was in ecstasy Gin let out a breathy sigh.

"I gotta give it to those humans, they make great drugs, I could be hit by a truck and not feel a thing. Not to mention that I sleep like a baby every night."

Tsukune eyes perked up at that last bit in which Gin replied with a slick grin. He reopened the bottle and took out two little white pills. He slid them into Tsukune's hand who just gave them back to him. Gin once more tried to put the pills in his hands but Tsukune refused. Finally Gin slapped his hand sharply and stuffed the pills in his open hand. Tsukune tried giving them back but Gin took his hand and stuffed it into his own pocket. Tsukune looked up into Gin's perpetually grinning face.

"Trust the doctor! Take two of these tonight and call me in the morning."

Gin took his hand out of Tsukune's pocket and patted him on the shoulder. Suddenly he felt his cane push on the small of his back and was shoved into the hallways.

"Now scoot, I have to pull damage control."

Gin closed the door on him effectively shutting him out. Pulling his hand out of his pocket and stared at the little white pills that laid innocently in his palm. He wasn't sure about it but it seemed that his sempai just peddled some of his pain medication to help him sleep. He prodded them like they were a couple of weird insects then quickly pocketed them. Deciding that he would come back to this matter later he ran down the hall trying to catch up with Moka and the others. While trotting down the hallways he found Moka in the main hall attempting to exit through the main gate. He called out her name and rushed to her side. She greeted him with a smile while hiding the magazine in her skirt pocket. Once Tsukune got close enough he began to talk.

"Hey Moka-san, wanna hang out today?"

Moka scratched her cheek nervously as if she was attempting to avoid an uncomfortably situation.

"Actually...I can't. I promised someone else that I'd meet with them today."

Tsukune was taken back slightly until he had an idea about what she was hinting at. He figured she must have been meeting with Kurumu and Yukari about his secret birthday party. Trying to play it coolly he answered back in a nonchalant manner.

"So you're meeting with Yukari and Kurumu-san. That's ok I un-"

"It's not Yukari or Kurumu-chan."

He was confused at her response. She was acting like she was about to do something sneaky. He didn't want to pry so instead of pushing the question further he decided to end it.

"Well I guess we could hang out tomorrow."

Moka bit her lower lip and looked away nervously.

"Actually I'm gonna be busy all week...six days to be exact."

Devastation struck him like a ton of bricks. Here he was trying to get her to be with him on his birthday and here she was telling him that she had already made plans with some mystery person for six days straight. He thought that maybe there was an off chance that she forgot about his birthday but if he tried to tell her it would seem tacky. He wanted to tell her in a way that she would remember on her own accord.

"Moka-san...do you know what day it'll be in six days?"

A sweet smile graced her face and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course I do."

He could feel the waves of reassurance crash over him the ocean itself, washing away all previous doubt that clung to him.

"It'll be Tuesday!"

That simple observation destroyed what little hope he had. He was frozen in that one spot even as she removed her hand and waved goodbye. He didn't know how long he was in that one spot but he could feel the thing resisting a cruel snicker. After a while he managed to gather enough feeling in his legs to wander the hallways. He couldn't believe that his best friend forgot about his birthday, especially since it was so close. As upsetting as it was what was really bothering him was the fact that she was meeting someone else. It was almost like he was jealous. Passing by an open classroom he saw Kurumu and Yukari sitting at a couple of desks talking secretively amongst themselves. Tsukune knocked on the door grabbing their attentions immediately. They scrambled out from their desks and smiled nervously at one another. He took a step into the room and smiled at the both of them.

"Hey I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out."

Kurumu's eyes lit up at the prospect. It looked like she was about to jump for joy but Yukari tugged at the hem of her skirt and gave her a look. She calmed herself to the point of near depression and spoke like she was reading from a card.

"Gomen Tsukune-kun but we're waiting for someone-"

"A possible lead to a big story!"

Tsukune nodded along with them as if he actually believed their story. He took another step forward and pulled up a chair.

"Well then how about I wait along with you?"

Again Kurumu was about to jump at the opportunity but Yukari spoke before she could.

"He said that he would meet with only us, the jerk!"

She then nudged Kurumu in the thigh with her elbow who responded in monotone.

"The jerk."

They held identical smiles, secretly wishing him to leave the room. He read on those wishes and left with head hung low. As he walked away he could hear someone trying rushing up to him only to be followed by the sound of dragging feet. As much as he knew that they were planning something sweet for him he really needed to talk to someone. Upon his nomadic travels in the academy's hallways he heard the clanging of a phone being placed on its receiver alerted him. He saw a row of pay phones along the walls and a single student walking away. A thought came to mind causing him to fish out a few coins from his pockets and rushed to the phones. After reading the out calling instructions he quickly dialed a familiar number and waited for the ringing on the other end to start. Despite his great need to talk to someone it didn't stop the fact that the evil spirit resting within his psyche trying it's damndest to distracted him.

_**'Who ya calling? Who ya calling? Huh Huh!'**_

He swatted the air around him as if his head was surrounded by invisible flies. Though it wasn't upsetting him as much as it was bugging him. It kept asking until the ringing stopped all together.

"_Hello?"_

"Cut it out!"

"_Excuse me?"_

Tsukune stopped flailing his hands around long enough to realize that someone picked up on the other end.

"Oh! Hey okaa-san."

He could hear the sounds of shuffling plates and the phone cord brushing up against the phone. His mother's breathing returned, all excited to hear his voice.

"_Tsukune-kun! I'm so glad to hear from you! How come you didn't call us earlier? Its been over 3 months since we heard from you, right darling?"_

He could hear his father's voice in the background, agreeing with her in a sort of distant tone of voice. His mother tutted and returned her attention to the phone.

"_So tell me what's it like over there? Are the classes hard? Did you make any friends?"_

"_Any of them girls?"_

"_Cut that out!"_

He removed the receiver from his ear as his parent's continued to argue. It was nice, it was normal to hear his parents arguing about his well being. His mother trying to protect him, father having a somewhat nonchalant view. It felt like he was at home.

"_Tsukune-kun?"_

Her voice brought him out of his nostalgia and back into reality. He placed the phone back on his ear while having a small smile.

"I'm still here and to answer your questions; the classes are fine, I have made many friends and to answer otou-san's question most are girls."

A gasp came from the other end of the phone.

"_Oh my baby's growing up! So tell me are one of those ladies your special friend?"_

He became silent as he thought about Moka. Many times he wondered what they were but today it kind of cemented it for him. His mother's voice called out to him again as he calmly spoke.

"No. They're just my friends."

"_Then they don't know what they're missing out on. So how are they other students treating you?"_

"Whadd'ya mean?"

"_Are they treating you well? Any fights?"_

"Ahhh...A few."

It was his mother's turn to be silent. He tried to call out her name but was interrupted by her frantic voice.

"_Did they hurt you? Did the teachers do something about them? Do I need to come down there?"_

It was his turn to be silent. Tsukune looked down at the phone like it was some disgusting creature wriggling in his hand. For some reason his mother's concern for his safety repulsed him. She was acting like he was some fragile little bird that couldn't defend itself. Bringing the phone back up he glared at the receiver he hissed at his mother.

"I wasn't hurt and no you don't have to come down."

His mother's voice squeaked pitifully over the phone.

"_Tsukune-kun...why are you angry?"_

"I'm angry because you think I'm incapable of defending myself."

"_That's not-"_

"And for your information I'm fine but I can't say the same thing for the others."

"_What are you talking about?"_

He huffed into the phone in agitation. His teeth were bared while jaw clenched tighter with each passing moment.

"I mean that I sent each and every one of them to the hospital!"

This time they were both silent, shocked by what he had said. It almost sounded like he was bragging about it. In a moment's notice the silence was broken by his mother's shrill screams.

"_AONO TSUKUNE!"_

"_What happened?"_

"_YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT YOUR SON JUST TOLD ME!"_

At once he could hear his parent's combined voices going at him with anger at their only son. Each word that came out of their mouths fueled his anger like a hungry fire. His hand rung the neck of the phone, imagining it was his mother's and eventually ended up banging it against his forehead.

"_So do you have anything to say?"_

Immediately he stopped with his session of self-abuse long enough to realized that his mother asked him a question. Slowly he returned the phone to his ear and spoke in a soft tone.

"As a matter of fact I do."

Taking in a deep breath he mustered his rage into two single words.

"EAT ME!"

Swinging the phone up over his head he could hear them both screaming at the top of their lungs just before he smashed it against the receiver. After that was done He stared at the phone fuming angrily he delivered a quick smack to the device then stuffed his hands into his pockets and trudged down the halls. He felt sick to his stomach when he realized what he had just said to his parents moments before.

_**'Telling your parents to eat it, bragging about putting your fellow students in the hospital...I'm so proud!'**_

It had gotten to the point where he actually collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily while brushing his hand through his hair. Still unable to believe how it had happened. He called his parents just to talk to someone and then when his mother asked him an innocent question he went ballistic on them. Shame swept over his body he began to shake. The flush of hormones began to wash out of his system through his sweating pores. Something was changing within him and it seemed that nothing could be done to stop it. With shaky hands he lifted himself up off the ground and made way to the only place in the whole academy where someone could be truly alone with ones own thoughts.

* * *

(Rooftops)

Tsukune paced along the rooftop at an agitated speed and all he could think about was the conversation that he had with his parents and with Moka. First she blows him off for some mystery meet with somebody that she didn't want him to know about and just moments before he exploded at his parents over a simple question. For nearly a month he was calm, cool, collected and today that all went down the drain. The tides were turning against him; his once placid mood was churning and frothing into a sea of discontent and all the while he could feel the relic squirm with delight just beneath the surface of his skin. His breathing became shallow as his mind raced faster than thought possible. He tried to make sense of what was happening but something told him that there was no sense to be made. Each time he thought about it his blood boiled over. Eventually his breathing turned from shallow to a deep huff. Stomping towards the railings he stared out into the horizon. The sun hung low in the sky, un-impeded by clouds or high flung branches; it burned angrily in the mid-afternoon sky and was amazed by how much it reflected his current mood. With an inhuman fury he banged his fists against the metal railings, hurting both in the process. Rubbing them together in an attempt to lessen the pain he moaned out four small words.

"What's…happening to…me?"

He waited for an answer from anybody but nothing came. There was no answer, no snide comment, nothing which scared him more than anything. For the first time in months he felt truly alone. Laying his head against the cool metal bar he repeated the question with a firmer tone.

"What's happening to me?"

Still no answer came to him. Without warning he wailed and crashed against the metal bars in a violent fit of rage. Smashing his hands against the steel he could feel them crack and fracture further under the self-thrashing. Finally when his hands could no longer take the abuse he delivered a wicked head butt, causing the bars to bend slightly to the contours of his face. His body slid down till he hit the floor and without a second thought he looked at his hands through pained eyes only to find his fingers bloodied and bent at peculiar angles. Tears swelled as he rubbed his face with broken hands. At that moment he could swear that a cold, grisly grip his shoulder followed by a mirthless whisper in his ear.

'_**Relax.'**_

The near-skeletal hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek and caressed it gently. To Tsukune's credit he didn't flinch or make any sudden movements not even to check behind him…he knew that there would be nothing. His fingers started to crack and bend back into their normal positions when it began to speak to him once more.

'_**Patience is a virtue you must learn quickly! All will be revealed when the time is right.'**_

As sudden as it appeared the hand disappeared just as fast. This thing was tormenting him relentlessly and he no longer knew what to do anymore. Since the day he came to this school and put this thing on his being his entire world came crumbling down around him. Eventually he turned around to look out to the sun again when he saw somebody out on the school grounds. The person was leaning up against a tree, reading a magazine. Immediately he knew that the person was Moka and that pissed him off more than he knew. She told him that she was meeting somebody and there she was reading that stupid magazine under a tree. Gripping the bars with his newly healed hands he fought the urge to lash out against the railings once again. Was he that annoying to her? Did she just tell him that she was meeting someone in order to get away from him? It was killing him the not knowing.

Finally the universe decided to give him a break by allowing him to see someone else walking across the school grounds making a beeline towards Moka. The person in question was taller than either him or Moka and held a feminine stride. The only thing he could clearly see was a white lab coat and a plain black bandanna with colored splotches all over. Moka put down her magazine and greeted this new person with a somewhat nervous excitement. He squinted trying to see this new person but was simply to far away to see any definitive details. With his focus being so intense he didn't even notice the color bleeding out from his peripheral vision and the details of the newcomer's face slowly coming to light. The person was no question a woman and older so most likely a teacher. She was pretty with light features and had a somewhat tomboyish aura about her. Though he could see her clearly in black and white he still could not hear what she was saying. He watched her lips move up and down, open, round, pout, forming words that he desperately wanted to hear.

'_**-at you're here, Akashiya-s-'**_

Tsukune jumped upwards with fright, managing to crack the top of his skull against the top of the railing. Gripping the sides of his head trying to stop the ringing that had became present in his ears. It was such a shock to his system that he didn't expect. The moment his senses returned he took up his post once more.

'_**-all I want from you. Is that ok?'**_

'_**Hai, Ishigami-sensei.'**_

Tsukune cursed silently under his breath. He missed something that was important, something that she wanted from Moka but he did learn the name of the mystery teacher. Hitomi Ishigami was the school's art teacher and from what he heard about her she was extremely popular with the girls.

'_**I just want to thank you again Akashiya-san. In fact I'm so grateful that I'm going to give you a little something…'**_

She fished out a small brass ring out from one of her many coat pockets. Once she had it out Ishigami held Moka's hand in her own and slid the ring onto her pointer finger. Moka gazed at the ring with a glimmer of what looked to be happiness. While Moka looked on Ishigami-sensei strolled behind her and gently placed both of her hands on her shoulders, leaned in to whisper.

'_**I give these to a select few who I believe deserve 'special' attention.'**_

That ended it. Ishigami wrapped her arm around Moka's shoulder and walked her back into the school's main building. Tsukune sat up from his post and tried his hardest to make sense of what had happened. Moka, his best friend and who he asked to hang out for his birthday left him to meet up with the school's art teacher. No matter how much he thought about it, it just did two things to him; anger and confuse him. Once more he paced around the rooftops repeating the conversation he overheard over and over.

"All I want from you…'Special' attention…what the hell was she talking about?"

At that moment a loud and sarcastic yawn rung in his head followed by a quick lip smacking noise.

'_**It's a real mystery…wanna know how I knew what they were talking about?'**_

Without breaking his stride Tsukune waved it off dismissively.

"You read their lips, nothing special."

'_**Yeah well fuck you too!'**_

Ignoring the rude remarks he continued his pacing, thinking feverishly about the possibilities of their meeting and each one was as unlikely as the next. His brain began to overheat as each scenario began to pile on top of each other. Was she meeting because of extra credit? If she was then why was she meeting in such a secretive way? Maybe it was about him but again that didn't make any sense. Why did she give her that ring too and why did Moka accept it in the first place.

'_**Maybe she was using you as a beard…'**_

It was antagonizing him and, unfortunately it was working. Was she just using him as a front this whole time? Did she manipulate him into thinking that she might like him so that way it was more convincing? Immediately he tried to shake that thought out from his head because the Moka he knew wouldn't do that.

'_**How well DO you know her?'**_

Tsukune stopped dead in his tracks after that question emerged. How well did he know Moka? It's hard enough to figure out one person but when that person has two completely different personalities it might as well be impossible and as the thing had mentioned before he had only known her for three months. Heart racing he could feel the strain his body was enduring. Joints were aching and his eyes burned almost as hotly as his brain, muscles felt like they were sagging off the bone while his breath was haggard. With all this present in mind Tsukune came to one resounding conclusion.

"I need sleep."

It was the only thought in his head that wasn't speculation. Making his way to the staircase he decided to take one last glance towards the sun. The sky was aflame with hues of pinks, oranges, and reds. Each was splashed across the horizon as if swiped by some giant's paint brush and its canvas was the sky itself. The sun hung below the branch line which somehow added to the beauty by reminding him of shadow puppetry, the branches interlocking one another to form both complex and simple rudimentary shapes within their vacant spaces. As the fiery orb lowered itself at its normal pace, for the first time in months everything felt right with the world, no evil voices trying to pollute his mind, secretive meetings amongst his friends or the students trying to kill him. It was several minutes of pure perfection and was just what he needed. The moment the sun dipped under the horizon and the stars began to twinkle innocently above Tsukune placed his hand on the door knob and let a small laugh escape from his lips. Again it was ironic that he never appreciated the simpler things until now.

* * *

(Boy's Dormitory)

Scaling the staircase in the dormitory building Tsukune began to wonder how he was going to sleep tonight. For the past couple of months he either sat in his room in the dark all night or drift to sleep only to wake up an hour later covered in sweat. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and felt two tiny objects at the tips of his fingers. Immediately he remembered this afternoon's club meeting and the pills Gin had given him along with the promise of what they could give. Deep within thought he almost didn't see a small group of guys descending the staircase readying themselves for a night out. Tsukune moved to the side of the staircase so the others could pass. The group didn't even notice him till he moved and immediately stopped talking when they passed. Most simply tried to ignore him or not make any sort of eye contact but one did nod at him. After this somewhat normal encounter he finally reached his floor only to be greeted with the sight of almost every guy getting ready for some night out. Fighting through the crowd he reached his door and placed a hand on the doorknob when somebody shouted out.

"HEY! Turnin' in early, Aono-san?"

At that moment Tsukune felt dozens of eyes burning holes in his back, trying to anticipate his next move. Rage began to build up again for no reason while the grip he had on his doorknob tightened in an attempt to quail it. Forcing a smile on his face he turned around to see them all waiting for his answer.

"Hai, gotta get up early tomorrow."

The sounds of several disappointed groans and relived sighs rung through the crowd, dispersing it as quickly as it had formed. Nearly everybody was going out except for him which brought a small scowl to his face. Entering his room and swiftly closing the door behind him he immediately dressed for bed. Wearing only a pair of sweats and a T-shirt he climbed into his bed and stare at the digital clock across the room. The red numbers flashed 7:45pm in an almost mocking manner. Pulling up the covers he laid in his soft bed finding every ache beginning to soothe themselves enough to finally become comfortable. As he lay there, eyes fluttering open and shut he silently prayed that this time he would finally get a good night's sleep.

Like clockwork the dreams started up the moment his eyelids closed. His mind was flooded by a chorus of unholy cries from beasts beyond the realm of human imagination. Abhorrent abominations that only the sick or fevered minded could of possibly have any hope of conceiving scuttled across his dreamscape. Events of cataclysmic proportions flashed before him and blasphemous cyclopean stone palaces of bizarre geometry sprung up before him. The bombardment of horrifying images was followed by the incessant drumming and chanting that he had heard many times before. They both came at him faster and clearer than ever before. As they reached their apex Tsukune tried to awake from his dreams but was stopped when a blinding light stunned him. No longer did he feel the soft down comforter but a stone cold granite slab against his back followed by a hollowed half-voice.

"_**O friend and companion of night, thou who rejoicest in the baying of dogs and spilt blood, who wanderest in the midst of shades among the tombs, who longest for blood and bringest terror to mortals…"**_

A sound of shuffling feet, like that of a person with advance age came to his ears, alerting him to the arrival of someone. Immediately he tried to escape but found movement to be futile, a mere spectator to some horrifying spectacle. The shuffling became louder telling him that the person was getting closer. Finding that doing nothing wasn't helping his nerves he tried yelling for help with no success, finding that his voice was somehow muted. Still trying to call for help he finally noticed that the shuffling had come to a halt, chilling his already caught breath. Slowly he turned his head only to regret it the moment his eyes locked with his captor's. Once more, he tried to open his mouth not to call for help but to scream for his life. The fetid thing that looked down on him may have been human at one time but now was a complete and utter blasphemous mockery. Its phosphorous skin was brown and shriveled like a rotten apple, decaying as it stood. Teeth either absent or hanging by sinewy threads just barely grazing the skin of his cheeks and sockets glowed with tiny yellow orbs which seemed to be buried deep within its sockets. From it rotten mouth a disgusting oozy green ichor dripped from it gums. Raising its arm which made a noise like that of snapping branches amplified his terror as it also gripped a rusted spiked sickle in its hand.

"_**Gorgo, Mormo, thousand-faced moon, look favorably on our sacrifices!"**_

The sickle eclipsed the light that hung up high. Cryptic runes glowed along the handle in colors that Tsukune didn't even know existed. The sockets lit up like some sort of demonic Christmas lights. The curved blade hung in mid-air giving off a malevolent atmosphere when suddenly the creature swung it with unnatural lightning speed straight towards his throat. Screaming frantically Tsukune jumped out of this nightmare and back into the real world. He laid on the floor heart pounding and ears ringing with the sound of his own screams. His body trembled while he tried to unwrap himself from his downy cocoon when a tepid knocking came from the other side of his door. He looked up to see one of the students peeking behind his door with a nervous expression.

"You ok? There was screaming…bad dreams?"

Tsukune looked around his room then back at the student with a small smile.

"I had some spicy food before bed."

The student nodded in an understanding manner and shut the door. Tsukune brushed his hair back and trying to calm his breathing he could feel his heartbeat going back to its normal rhythm. Gazing up from the floor to the alarm clock he saw it flashing 9:00pm in those same mocking red numbers. Angrily he reached out for his pants and pulled out two pills. Rising quickly from the floor he opened the door and marched down the hall. Some of the guys were coming back from their nightly plans and most looked satisfied with themselves. Several of the students dispersed from his path as he hurried the pace and for the first time he didn't care. He was through with the nightmares and just wanted a decent night's sleep and if that meant self-medicating with class three narcotics then so be it. Reaching the end of the hallway he entered into the bathroom and stopped at the last sink. While the others were performing their nightly rituals, Tsukune popped the pills into his mouth and drank deeply from the sink. He could feel the pills travel down his throat and down into his stomach. Everybody else was too preoccupied with themselves to see Tsukune stumble across the floor and out of the bathroom. His entire body had gone numb, mind covered in a thick haze as he staggered back to his room. It was strange unable to feel his feet touch the ground or even his feet at all, it was like he was floating along the floor. He could hear a nagging voice in the back of his head but the mind wouldn't register it.

'Floating' back to his dorm room he watched as his hand reached out to turn the door knob and let the door open on its own. Looking down at the carpet that covered the floor of his room that he thought as ugly first now seemed almost inviting. His body began to sway too and fro almost like he was drunk instead high. The motions became increasingly violent until his body threw itself off balance and hit the floor. There was a momentary flash of light then nothing but blackness. Tsukune was swathed in a cocoon of darkness and silence. While it would have been considered disturbing to some to him it was heaven. The entire absence of image and noise was somehow peaceful and safe. As much as he was enjoying this serene sanctuary he knew that it couldn't last, already he could feel what could only be the weak but persistent rays of sunlight beating on his still body. Slowly he began to stir from his slumber and as the feeling returned to his body he could already tell that something was off. Hard lumps had somehow formed under him overnight and his body laid in something soft and moist. Reaching out he found that he was already touching on something hard, smooth and cold in one spot, soft, fuzzy and warm in another. Pushing himself off the floor groggy founding that he was cotton-mouthed he did his best to calm down.

Opening his eyes he was shocked to find that instead of artificial light he was bombarded with true solar light. Quickly he attempted to shield his eyes as the migraine he was experiencing became more excruciating by the second. Rubbing the sides of his head he cautiously opened his eyes only to find that his current surroundings were not the ones he fell asleep in the night before. Trees, he was surrounded by trees but not the ones he has become accustomed to. The trunks on these trees were unhealthily thick and roots gnarled among each other. They were a deep grey and seemingly dead until he saw the branches creak and sway in a non-existent wind. Twisting around he found that he was almost encircled by these monstrosities; the only opening was a narrow dirt path no wider than he was. Turning downward he saw that he was laying in grass and lumps of white stone. Picking up one of the stones he turned it within the palm of his hand to find that it was smooth and marble-like. Putting the stone back, his eye-line followed the rubble trail until his sights landed on the remains of a large memorial headstone. At one time this sepulchral may have been twice his size but time worn it down to almost nothing, letters that were once pronounced and grand were faded beyond recognition. The pieces that were present seemed to be made of the finest marble while the rest were covered in strange moss.

Quickly he stood up from the ground and dusted himself off. Whirling around he found that he was truly alone; animals, insects, flowers all absent with exception to the patch of grass and the animated 'dead' trees. Backing up slowly at first he watched for some sign of life in this patch of iniquitous earth. A resounding crack came from above his head and without a second thought Tsukune swung himself around and darted down the tiny dirt road.

* * *

(Academy-Hallways)

It had been over an hour since Tsukune had awoken from his strange slumber, fully clothed and washed. After he stopped running for fear, he ran for anxiety of being late. Traversing through the corridors deep in thought; thinking about the day's earlier events waking up in front of the unknown tomb. With all the strangeness that had happened within the past twenty-four hours there was one thing he couldn't help but notice, how well rested he felt. For the first time in months he finally felt clearheaded and recharged. It was amazing how much eight hours of uninterrupted sleep could do for a person in need of it. Avoiding any head collisions Tsukune traveled through the labyrinthine hallways until he had found what he was searching for. Among the ocean of blondes and brunettes a small bob of pink was within like a small island. Quickly he zeroed in on Moka and followed her discreetly. Though he was more lucid state of mind then yesterday still he was curious about what Ishigami wanted with her.

After several minutes of silent navigation he followed her to the art room along with all of the other students not wanting to be late. For several seconds he stood outside the room allowing several other students in before him. Silently he slipped into the room unseen and sat in the back. Tsukune was stunned to find that the classroom was already bursting at the seams but even more students were coming through the door and even the windows. Amazed that these students seemed so eager to get a seat that he tried to see were Moka was sitting, almost failing to notice that most of the new students were girls. A sudden tapping on the chalkboard alerted everyone to the front where Ishigami stood. Like little soldiers everyone look towards her with un-divided attentions while she held a happy smile and arms wide open.

"Welcome everyone!"

They welcomed her with numerous cheers and greetings which quickly ended when she waved them down. Tsukune watched as she wrote something on the chalkboard then flourished it with a fancy underline. She moved out of the way to show the weeks' assignment.

"What's important to you, whether it be an object, place or person; I want you to paint a portrait of it or them."

An excited murmur filled the tiny classroom as everyone talked about the assignment however Tsukune did not share their excitement. Try as he might he couldn't think of something that was important to him. As Ishigami walked among the students passing out blank canvasses Tsukune's frustration began to build. Silently a gentle hand placed itself by his side and another placed an empty canvas in front of him. Quickly he looked up and saw Ishigami looking down smiling.

"I noticed that you're having some trouble."

He breathed deeply through his nose then let out a sigh.

"I'm having trouble thinking of something to paint."

She knelt down beside him and placed her hand to her chin. Letting out a curious 'Hm' and wrinkling her nose she let out an alternative thought.

"Well you could always paint something else…"

"Yeah but I'm not that good…what if it's not y'know…perfect?"

"Perfect? Well the thing about art is that there will always be critics but the only person you truly need to impress is you."

She left with those words of wisdom, allowing Tsukune to contemplate on that particular life lesson. Was he the only person that he needed to impress? Perhaps he shouldn't obsess over Moka's life; she too had the right to privacy. Is self-love truly the best love?

'_**What a load of horse-shit!'**_

The entire class was aflutter with excitement during the entire class but Tsukune just sat there staring at his empty canvas. Finally the bell rung and the students hurried to place the partial paintings back into the cupboards and exited the classroom, talking amongst themselves about the assignment but Tsukune wasn't so enthusiastic. Placing back his bare canvas he too exited the classroom. Almost immediately he was accosted by a rather small girl still wearing her gym clothes and bombarded him with questions. She had short blonde hair with two long braids hanging down from her forehead, big blue eyes and a winning smile.

"Did she talk about me?"

Tsukune was so taken aback that the only word he could articulate was.

"Huh?"

The strange girl tugged at his sleeves with excitement. Nearly hopping on the spot she continued to question him.

"Ishigami-sensei, she talked to you right? Was it about me?"

Confused by this girls' obsession over her teacher he stilled managed to answer her.

"No it wasn't about you it was something else."

A small pout formed on the girl's features and soon she left him to join her own set of friends. He was dumbfounded by the girl's queer obsession with the art teacher's opinion of her was baffling. He wanted to know why were the girls of this school were so fanatical about Ishigami. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. The seeds of paranoia had begun to take root deep within his psyche.

* * *

(After class-Club)

The entire day had passed and no matter how hard he tried his mind kept going to a single nagging question; why was Ishigami-sensei so popular with the female populace? She did have a bit of a tomboyish vibe about her which some girls might find appealing and from the brief encounter he had with her she definitely cared for her students but that couldn't be all there was to her. There must be some unknown reason as to why the girls of this school loved Ishigami-sensei. Over and over he thought about the mysterious charisma she had over the students, boring into his brain like some kind of worm torturing him relentlessly. It was no longer the fact that Moka was ignoring him for her but rather that all girls seemed to be infatuated by her. Everybody was going about their normal lives, completely unaware of the storm festering inside their friend. Scenario upon scenario piled themselves up in his subconscious without mercy. On normal circumstances excessive paranoia is destructive on its own but when fueled by dark whisperings of a malignant spirit it goes to whole new level. He twitched at every slight movement and eyes darted from side to side, heart pounding in his throat. He sat in his seat watching every single one of their actions in an almost hawk-like fashion.

Kurumu came near him, giving him a small smile. Any normal person under normal circumstances would be happy that someone as beautiful as her would acknowledge their existence but these weren't normal circumstances and Tsukune was no longer a normal person. He sent her a quick smile back at her and watched as she bent over a desk, fussing over a stack of papers. Usually he would be embarrassed seeing her in that state; skirt slightly hiked up in a revealing manner, long smooth legs riding, sweet rounded buttocks pointed towards him almost as if she was presenting herself to him but now he didn't see that. All he could see was that smile and what secrets hid behind it. In his mind he thought that she might be trying to trick him somehow, she had tried it once before and she was always telling Moka that she would 'Win' him over one of these days. Then he thought that maybe she no longer had interest in him but because of her stubborn nature she was just using him to hurt Moka then dump him right afterwards, just to add insult to injury. Quickly he shook his head in an attempt to purge those thoughts from his head. Kurumu was his friend and as much as she tried to hide it she was happy to be Moka's friend too. He turned, head clearing of all worry. He could sense her getting up from her provocative position and walk around him. He lowered his guard for the first time that day, feeling safe and secure.

'_**Freak.'**_

"WHAT?"

He spun around to face Kurumu who was trying to place the papers she held in order. Tsukune's eyes were wide with anger. He heard what she had said about him so why was she acting like nothing happened. Slowly he placed his hand on her shoulder which she quickly turned to him with a big smile. Tsukune twitched slightly as he talked to her.

"Kurumu-san did you just call me-"

"Handsome, Brilliant, Love of my life?"

The way she responded and how her eyes shined with a burning honesty that only the greatest of master manipulators could pull off, something that Kurumu was not. Waiting for his answer Kurumu stood there with glimmering hope and Tsukune could feel his self-loathing growing. This was one of his best friends and he thought that she had called him a freak. Immediately feeling guilty he tried his best to recover from the situation.

"No…I just thought you called for me."

She shook her head lightly towards him and continued with putting papers in order. Deciding that it would be better if he was by himself he tried to leave the room but was stopped by Yukari.

"Tsukune-kun I was wondering if I can talk to you about something."

She started talking about the different stories going around the school. Fighting back a nervous sweat he did his best to listen while not looking like he wanted to leave. She kept going on and on about the confirmed rumors and news stories about the students, teachers and upcoming events that might interest their readers. Trying his best to pay attention to her he felt his attention span dwindling as she neared the end of their conversation.

"I want to know your opinion on which story I should run with. So which would you-"

'_**Knob.'**_

"I AM NOT!"

His scream echoed in the small room causing everyone to stare at him with a mixture of concern and bewilderment. Tsukune himself was more shocked than any of them as his paranoia came back with a vengeance in a near instance along with a greater sense of guilt than before. Despite the situation he had with Kurumu moments before he was still freaking out over non-existent comments. As they watched him he immediately tried his best to salvage the situation.

"I-I am not…sure which…would be the best! I guess which ever you feel best about. Now if you excuse me…"

Reaching behind him for the door, he gripped the handle and twist it open. Suddenly without warning the door pushed him forward and something long and wooden tripped up his leg. Yukari jumped out of the way, accidentally allowing Tsukune to land face first on a chair then to the ground. As he writhed on the floor with a possible broken nose the sounds of footsteps and a cane entered the room. Slowly but surely he could feel the bridge of his nose straightening. Flipping onto his back he looked up only to see a flyer fall on his face followed by a loud voice.

"OY Tsukune…what're doin' down there? Get up we got some impor'ant stuff ta do!"

Quickly rising from the floor he took the flyer from his face and saw the faces of seven different girls. Each one of them was pretty in their own way, ranging from the girl next door to a typical beauty. Gin stood in front of the classroom with his cane laid across the teachers desk and held a grim expression.

"A major problem has come to my attention and we gotta solve it fast."

He passed out the flyers to all the club members and quietly made his way to the window, staring aimlessly outward over the school grounds. Everyone examined the pictures with mild interest and waited for their club president to clarify what problem the school was experiencing.

"Each and every one of these girls has been reported missin' within the last month and that's unusual even by this school's standards."

Gin coolly walked back to the teacher's desk and put both feet on top. He twirled the cane between his fingertips while holding an intense brooding expression. The others studied the papers but non as intensely as Tsukune. The first six girls were well known around the school for their looks, personalities, intelligence and or talents but the seventh girl was the only one that interested him. She had short hair except for two long braids going down the front of her face and though the picture was in black and white he instinctively knew the color of those big eyes. Looking up from the flyer he stared up at Gin who stared right back.

"No one knows how or why they're gone but as you can see that there's a pattern emergin' here."

Before Tsukune could speak Yukari piped in her opinion.

"Are you sure they're missing? Maybe they had to go home or became ill."

At that point Gin let out a snort.

"Ill? What are you suggestin' that all these girls came down with lupus or somethin'? Nah somethin' hinky's goin' on and I want all of you to find out what."

Limping his way to the classroom door he pushed it open and gave them a 'Go forth' motion out the door. Letting out the club members they each went their own way. Tsukune was stunned as he stared at the last picture with a horrified amazement; he met this girl just hours before and now she was supposedly gone. He couldn't help but think about how he was most likely one of the last people she spoke to and he didn't even know her name. The sound of a cane smacking against a wooden desk jolted him out of his self-induced trance. Gin came in close holding his medication bottle in his free hand, shaking it in a toying fashion.

"Sleep well?"

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly he let out a small chuckle.

"Um…kinda I guess."

"Whadd'ya mean kinda?"

Again he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well I slept pretty well but woke up somewhere else."

"I don't follow."

"I took those pills, fell asleep in my room and this morning I woke up outside."

Gin let out a hearty chuckle and patted him on the back. Tsukune nearly buckled under the pressure of his hand and was almost deafened when his hearty chuckle turned to a deep laugh. Popping open the bottle he swallowed another pill.

"Well that must've been a real shocker for you huh? I highly doubt it was because of these puppies sooo…"

Propping his hand palm up and prying open his fingers Gin placed two more pills into his hand and pushed him out the door. Tsukune stood out there with a stupefied expression on his face and two pain pills in his hand and confusion in his brain. He pocketed the pills and walked off into the hallways with no intention of reliving the experience any time soon.

* * *

(Several days later)

Days had passed since the first time he took the pills and had the strangest wake up call of his somewhat short life and followed Moka to the art room. To him the days were growing longer and the dreams that were no longer confined to his nightly activity were coming more vividly if it was even possible. Terrors from his dreams and scenarios from his imagination continuously frayed his nerves over the past four days. The rate of mental decay was almost too much for him to hide from his friends in a convincing manner.

His hair was slightly ragged and pointed in odd directions, eyes drooped and bloodshot, and skin becoming faintly cold. Wheezing and breath somewhat raspy, the cogs in his brain turned sluggishly like that of a dirty machine with years of accumulated sludge build-up. His friends noticing his degraded state were constantly asking him if he was ok and he would answer with a quick but friendly yes. Although he acted like he was ok he was nowhere near that emotional of physical state. Much to his dismay no longer did the eldritch artifact under his skin need to speak to him to try and alter him but rather he could feel its intentions for him. The ability to feel two different consciousnesses in his skull only fed his already dangerously overgrown paranoia to a near breaking point. His mind filled the gaps between words of his friends' conversation with thoughts of conspiracy and finding himself obsessing over possible thoughts that others may have been having about him for hours on end which only fueled the stress too his over-fatigued body.

On several occasions he would remember that he had two white pills stowed away in his room and the promise of dreamless sleep they held but at the price of sleepwalking he still had not taken them. More and more Gin tried to peddle his drugs to him but Tsukune lied to him saying that he no longer suffered from insomnia or night terrors. Even though the lack of sleep and nightmares would drive any normal person insane what was truly taking its toll against him was that Moka was still seeing Ishigami in secret and still he followed her to her class and to put a cherry on top of the horrible week he was having, failing the class assignment. For nearly a weeks worth of days he stared at both the back of Mokas' head and a blank canvas that stood mockingly in front of him. Though it seemed like a small thing compared to what was happening to him now it still bothered him greatly.

Staring at the canvas he could feel all what he wanted to paint nestling at his fingertips but no matter how hard he tried his paintbrush would not touch the blank paper. Something wasn't allowing him to paint away his anxiety but rather let it build up in his soul and that same something told him that it wasn't the mask under his skin. His hands shook with trepidation as they continued to disobey him by hovering mid-air, frozen like a statuary piece. On several occasions Ishigami tried to speak some inspiring words but they either did not do what they were meant to do or his sleep-deprived brain wouldn't let them in. Never before had he ever felt so tired in his life and though days before he had more than eight hours of liberating sleep it felt like it was a year ago. Eventually the hours of the day began meld into one another until he wasn't even aware of the rising and setting sun. Finally it was the night before his birthday and now he was laying in bed, staring up at a slow moving fan.

The blades swung slowly, rotating in a perfect circle in a near hypnotizing fashion. Normally this repetitive motion would be enough to send anyone into a sound slumber but Tsukune's mind was a quagmire of muddled thoughts. Out of all of these thoughts he couldn't help but think about how much he needed a good nights' sleep and how the two little white pills in his dresser could bring that dream into a reality. Soundlessly he stood up from his bed and silently walked down the hall to the bathroom. Students walked past him without so much as a second glance while he stumbled to the end of the hall in a zombie-like fashion. Soon entering the bathroom he reached the first sink and pulled out a paper cup out from a nearby dispenser. Soon he sluggishly walked out of the bathroom and made a beeline back to his room. Without thought he entered his room, pulled out the pills and without hesitation popped them in his mouth and chased it with the water in his cup. Sneaking back under the covers of his bed and gazed at the rotating fan blades whirl around like a child's mobile. His eyelids slid down like they were made of lead and quickly covered his vision in darkness.

Once again he fell into a world of black, dreamless sleep and reveled in this fact that he was cut off from the nightmares once more. Continuing to rest in this place of darkness he noticed that something was considerably different from last time. Feelings of rage and fear came across his subconscious mind for the fleetest of moments. Perhaps this was normal for some but what Tsukune understood from last time he took the pills he shouldn't feel anything but the moment passed and his mind returned to the warmth of the empty void. This was his safe haven and as much as he wished to stay he knew it couldn't be. Already he could feel his mind rising from the calm of the emptiness and back into the real world. As his face was warmed by the creeping sunlight a sense of creeping anxiety began to bubble up in his stomach as he began to wonder if he was still where he was. His eyes were aflutter as the filtered sunlight shone weakly through a window, calming him immensely. The knowledge that he was still inside allowed him to let out a sigh of relief and reached up to massage his temples. Before he could let the sweet feeling of reprieve wash over him something wet smeared against the sides of his head.

Faster then thought possible, he jumped back to stare at his hands, covered in a crimson liquid. Panic quickly settled as he quickly surveyed the room he was in to find that he was no longer in his own room. A wall with a large chalkboard told him that he was in a classroom and the chairs with stands instead of desks told him more specifically which classroom he was in. Slowly calming down he brought his hands back to his face, sniffing the mysterious crimson liquid that covered them and confirmed his suspicion. In place of a copperish scent the liquid smelled heavily of oil validating his theory that what was on his hands did not come from a body but rather a tube of high grade paint. This was proven even further when he noticed that not every stand was vacant. One stand was currently occupied by a canvas and was arranged in a way in which it faced away from him. An unknown force moved his body towards the hidden painting which for some reason struck a chord of fear in him. Somehow unaware he knew that this canvas belonged to him but also instinctively knew that it was no longer blank. Quietly he snuck up to the painting as if it was a live and frightful hell beast readying to pounce upon him, shred his body to ribbons and consume his very soul. Treading lightly he neared the canvas with the feeling of his heart lodged deep in his throat, fear nearly consuming him whole as he approached something that his body told him that was unholy and not meant for the wholly sane. He tepidly reached out his hand and gripped the very edge of the canvas but didn't turn it around. Due to some primal instinct or cosmic forewarning deeply embedded in his very essence of his body he could not allow himself to move the canvas towards him but on the same primal level he had to know why. Still unable to turn it he decided that if his hands wouldn't work then he would have to use his feet.

Releasing his grip on the painting he walked around to the front of the picture but with his back turned to it, still unable to take a look. Fear still gripping him but fueled by his equally powerful morbid curiosity Tsukune began to mentally prepare himself for the unknown. After several quick deep breaths he spun around to face his own painting. Terror overwhelmed his entire being as he stared into what he couldn't believe was created by him. Horrifying shapes and beings that would strike instinctual fear in any sentient creature coupled with dark colors and violent brush strokes enhanced the imagery more than was necessary. Words could not nor should ever describe the horrors that were painted by his hand; eerily familiar alien geometry, hateful creatures staring towards the viewer, mixtures of colors that he wasn't aware of occupied the previously empty canvas. Quickly stuffing his fist into his mouth to stifle a scream as he back away from the painting, unable to break the spell it had on him. Trying to escape the pictures' disgusting gaze he tripped over one of the empty chairs which broke the curse of the painting for him at the cost of him smashing the back of his head against a closet door.

Letting out a groan of pain he rubbed the back of his head tenderly and gradually pulled himself off the ground. During his moments of hissing and groaning another noise reached his ears. The docile tones of feminine cries reached his ears which immediately drew his attention away from his own pain to the unknown female. Turning around he heard the noise coming from the closet in front of him. Opening the closet, it was rather large and was filled with life-sized statues with female proportions. Momentarily forgetting about the crying girl he studied the statues and their incredible features. He was fascinated by the detail and care that went into them, almost as if they were real. Slightly speechless from the near intensity of their detail he accidently bumped into one of the many statues. Quickly he turned around to steady the rocking statue when something truly disturbing caught his eye.

Tears were running down the statues' cheeks in steady streams and quite sobs passed through its stone lips. As much as that would bother anyone what truly disturbed him were the statues' features. It was the face of a young woman with very fair features and large eyes able to truly convey every emotion that may have ever held along with crop of short hair and two long braids chiseled in front of her face. His heart raced as he stared into the crying eyes of the statue and immediately reached up to grip its cheeks only to find them warm to the touch. He nearly gasped out loud when he realized what happened with a single resounding thought.

'_These statues are alive!'_

Before he could do anything else the sound of the classroom door opening alerted him. Rushing to the closet door he hastily pulled it close enough to appear closed while still able to see through a crack. The sound of high heels on tile reached his ears followed by a slight swishing of a long coat. Tsukune could see in the corner of his eye Ishigami walking around her room until it appeared that something caught her eye. For a moment he thought that she had noticed him until he saw what she saw, his monstrous painting. As she walked towards the painting first a part of him felt relief while another part of him was terrified. Reaching the painting she stood in front of it, eyes wide and hand to her chin Tsukune could feel his heart thumping in his chest and silently chewed his fingernails. With thoughts racing in his head a familiar and unpleasant voice wiped out the silence with a cruel cackle.

'_**What's the matter lil' Goya? Afraid of what this wacko's gonna think of you?'**_

Briefly he found the logic in its words but was more concerned about Ishigami finding him in the closet at the moment. He watched her closely as she slowly picked up the painting and gave it a look that seemed to be a cross between scrutiny and admiration. Finally she brought the painting across the room, opened a cupboard filled with unclaimed paintings. The smallest amount of happiness broke through the shell of anxiety, glad that in his sleepwalking form he forgot to put his name on the abomination. In a moment of reprieve he let a nervous chuckle pass his lips only to wish he hadn't. Slapping his hand to his mouth he saw her head swivel over her shoulder with piercing eyes at the closet almost like she was glaring right at him. Before he knew what to do his body moved him behind one of the many missing girls and hid when the clinking of high heels came closer at a frantic pace. As the closet doors thrust open Tsukune held his breath, listening to the soft clinking of a woman in high heels sneaking around for him. He could hear her reaching and grabbing around the room for the mysterious intruder. Sweat hung from his brow as she hunted nearly every nook and cranny for him, coming closer and closer. The thumping droned loudly in his ears nearly drowning out the incoming heels. Curled up in a ball of panic behind the petra-fied girl he looked up to see red fingernails twisting themselves around the curvature of her face and a small nose creeping up on him.

"Hello?"

Like a snake Ishigami dropped her fruitless search and retreated from the closet to meet the mysterious stranger. He exhaled and began to breathe slowly, calming down his racing heart. He fought the urge to let out another nervous chuckle, thanking that despite what had happened to him there was still someone up there who like him. Without a sound he crept from his hiding place and crawled back to the closet door. Peeking through the crack he saw Ishigami talking with somebody but couldn't see who. Trying his best to see her visitor he couldn't help but hear their conversation.

"I came early like you asked me too."

"Good, very good. Seeing how this is our last and most important meeting I am glad that you did Akashiya-san."

Blood ran cold in his veins as Ishigami moved out of the way, revealing Moka standing in front of the doorway. He watched in horror as Moka stood there facing their art teacher with the ignorance of one unaware of the danger presented before them. Silently staring he watched the demented art teacher offering a seat to her which she accepted graciously. While the teacher prattled on about art he stared at Moka who was absentmindedly playing with the brass ring on her finger. Jolts of fear ran down his spine as he stared at that brass ring and when he turned to the statued girls behind him to see that each had an identical ring on their fingers the whole thing clicked. Ishigami was somehow turning girls into statues and was marking them with brass rings, but as to why was still a mystery. Wanting to rush out for her his body wouldn't move. Here was with his best friend in harm's way and he was more interested in why she was here to begin with. Listening intently to the one-sided conversation between them he sat in absolute silence.

"I have to say that the progress we've made was better than I expected…much better."

Walking around the room it seemed to Moka that she was just lazily strolling about but to Tsukune it was just like a wild predator circling an injured animal. Despite the calm and relaxing demeanor that she exuded her eyes never left Moka, holding a lusting hunger within them.

"Did I ever tell you what I was taught about art when I was a student here?"

Moka shook her head and waited for their teacher to continue with her speech. Taking her silence as a sign to continue she slowly enclosed Moka, still holding her calm.

"I was taught 'Art is rarely perfect' but I've been fascinated by the idea of perfect art for a long time. It was then I made myself a promise."

A glance of confusion flashed across her face when Ishigami-sensei admitted her fascination with perfect art and how menacing it felt in all of its innocence. Her spine tingled when Ishigami's high heels softly clinked on the tile floor behind her, silently coming closer. Without warning Moka's chair spun around, exposing her to the wild eyed face of the art teacher. Ishigami curled her fingers around the front of Moka's chair, blocking all chances of escape. With a crazed smile she loomed over her like an evil specter.

"I promised myself that if I ever found that perfect piece I would do anything to have it!"

Attempting to lunge herself onto Moka, she was stopped when her hands held back the crazed woman. After several seconds Ishigami tried a completely new tactic, she kicked the chair out from under Moka who tumbled backwards until she hit another chair. Slightly dazed she happened to gaze up to see her teacher remove the bandanna from her head. Her braided hair fell down around her hips only to bounce back up with a surprising springiness. Without warning the braids began to ungulate and twist themselves into each other like coiling serpents. Reaching for one of her tresses she removed the tiny colored hair tie around it and without a passing second the hair end split apart and let out a low, threatening hiss. Moka, still stunned by the whack to her skull, watched hazily as the art teacher removed more of the colored restraints from her still hissing locks. Ishigami stood motionless with a confident stance while her snaky hair slithered towards their paralyzed victim. Moka trembled as the coiling locks wrapped themselves around one of her arms and a leg. She shivered as the hair tightened itself and squeeze to the point of pain causing a small stream of tears to run down her cheeks.

"YES! Cry for me! Pain is art and the only way for it to be truly perfect is to suffer!"

At that moment needle-like fangs erupted from the braided serpent's mouths and chomped down onto her tender flesh. Without a moment's notice the pain was followed by a cold numbness that slowly made its way up her arm and leg. Shutting her eyes tight Moka could feel the alien sensation traveling through her system along with the sounds of grinding stone. No longer able to ignore it she opened her eyes only to discover that both limbs were no longer of flesh but rock. Terror welled inside her as her eyes were transfixed by the stone curse gradually crawl up her limbs. The lump in her throat was dislodged when she let out an ear-shattering scream but was drowned out by an even louder shriek, this one of pain. Looking upwards Moka saw the deranged art teacher's face contorting to fits of anger and intense anguish. Moka watched as Ishigami clawed at her own head with sharp manicured fingers, screaming curses and obscenities. Watching her reach behind herself, it seemed like something attached itself to her back, pulling at the cords in her head. Sounds of ripping hair came to Moka's ears which were mixed with the shrill shrieking of her teacher when she suddenly jerked back, almost like she was pulled. Twisting her body, Ishigami continued to step back like she was being dragged by an industrial machine when she pulled against this mystery force. Several of the many braids that occupied her skull popped out like corks with tiny spurts of crimson blood jetting forth from her head wounds and veins throbbed on her forehead but still she pulled against whatever it was yanking her back. Finally with a mighty lift of her head, Moka saw the art teacher's hair rise up toward the ceiling, flinging whatever was hanging onto her hair in front of both of them.

"TSUKUNE!"

As Moka had yelled out Tsukune laid on his back in front of them, out of breath and clutching a fistful of braided hair. Ishigami did her best to regain some composure but Tsukune managed it first and immediately pulled harder than before. Moka did her best to edge her way to the door but her fossilized arm and leg brought her down to a snail's pace. Tsukune, slowly but surely, pulled himself up by attempting to pull the woman down. A strange but surprisingly familiar anger coursed through him as he watched her suffer, twisting her body in an attempt to free herself from his grasp. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he pulled harder and harder, feeling an indescribable rush he reeled in closer wrapping the cords of hair around his arm. Her screams fueled him as he began to yank at the deadly locks. Gritting his teeth, he was almost relishing the fact that she was in pain when a heavily breathy voice broke his concentration.

'_**Yes do it! RIP HER HEAD OFF!'**_

Fear struck him as the idea of him actually doing just that made him reconsider when in the split moment he stopped pulling was the moment she wretched herself free from his grip while sacrificing a few more dreads. Using the momentum of her pull and Tsukune's momentary hesitation she swung her head in a complete circle and whipped the remaining snaky braids at his person, entwining and biting him all over. Their tiny fangs pierced him wherever they could reach and immediately the stone-cold numbness spread through like some demonic virus. The granite curse coursed sluggishly through his veins like cold-fire removing all feeling from the infected areas of his body. The snakes coiled harder around him then before, cracking his now rocky-skin and eventually brought him to his knees. He tried to scream out for help but was impeded when a lock of hair stuffed itself into his mouth and turned his tongue to stone. His body turned immobile and tossed him over her shoulder with as much force as her damaged braids could muster.

As he flew through the air his mind couldn't help but be filled with thoughts of anger and self-loathing. Three months prior to this he would have been appalled by the idea of spying on his best friend or assaulting a teacher but here he was in the heat of the moment flying in the air after trying to rip his teacher apart. His body had nearly ossified when he crashed against the closets' metal doors right next to Moka. Their broken doors opened to reveal all the statues of the trapped, tearing girls to the current occupants of the room. Despite her handicap Moka still managed to limp and drag herself to Tsukune's hardening body that was nearly at a complete transformation. With all of her strength she pulled herself to him who was now nothing but stone and a few wriggling fingers. Quickly she wrapped her free hand around his digits which were already becoming cold. With a heavy heart she watched with tears in her eyes as his fingers began to turn grey. Slowly a soft feminine chuckle reached her ears along with the clinking of high heels on tile. Wrenching her head upwards she watched as Ishigami wipe the blood from her forehead, smearing it all over and coolly walked towards them.

"As I said before art is pain and there is nothing more painful than being trapped within your own body, never able to move for the rest of eternity only able to shed tears of suffering."

Moka could only grip Tsukune's stoning hand tighter than before secretly hoping that this was all some horrible nightmare and that by holding this dream Tsukune she would awaken in her bed. Purposefully the deranged art teacher gradually came closer with a mad glint present in her eyes and hands stretch out as if she were ready to snatch their eternal souls away from them. Moka could only gawk in terror as the teacher soon closed in on them, shadow stretching out and covering their bodies. Tears streamed from the now exposed statues of the poor girls encased in stone who could do nothing but watch as soon two more innocents fall prey to the maniac that captured them all. At this point Tsukune had all but turned into a granite image of himself with only a single remaining fingertip. In the moment that Ishigami stood over the two fossilizing teenagers, Moka, in a moment of panic, did something that even surprised her. She pressed her lips against the warm digit almost as if it was her way of kissing him goodbye. The moment her lips touch his bare flesh something bizarre happened. A flash of alien hate exploded within her brain, something that she had never felt before. It was an unnatural detestation the likes of which she doubted that anyone had ever experienced or thought possible. Glaring upwards she locked eyes with the teacher that was crouching over them, readying to make her move. Ishigami gleamed at the two with malice in her eyes and spoke with a sense of impending victory.

"Y'know I've never preserved an ugly person before. I guess once he's finished I'll just smash him to a million little pieces!"

Moka bared her sharp fangs at the woman and hissed evilly at her who reacted by taking a single step back but not much more. Moka moved her body on top of Tsukune's, protecting him like a mother animal does it child from a predator. Ishigami was slightly taken back by the girls' bizarre behavior but saw it as a sign of desperation and gave it no more thought. Striking like the snake in the grass that Ishigami was she lunged at the two teens with the intent of destroying the boy but the girl stood her ground, even as her arm and leg turned to stone. Her heels echoed as they crashed against the tile floor until she launched herself into the air. The wind whistled through her fingers as she descended at a frightful pace, crazed grin present on her face and a truly insane shine in her eyes as she stared directly at the two. To Mokas' credit she didn't even flinch but instead of her usual happy and docile features now formed a wrathful and ugly sneer which had never graced her face before. Razor sharp claws, which were mere inches away, flew closer to them with the intent to kill but again Moka did not even flinch. With a whirl of movement and the sickening crack that rung throughout the room Moka had snapped out of her strange haze of rage only to fall into a deep pit of despair.

Ishigami loomed over them both with claws mere millimeters away from the Aono boy's face. The teacher had stopped short of accomplishing her goal due to one simple act of movement. In the particularly weird out-of-body experience Moka's body moved and twisted on its own allowing her to swing her rocky leg and sink it in-between the teachers' eyes with enough force that a gross crunching was heard after each time she moved her foot. Quickly she retracted her foot from Ishigami's face, not even noticing that the granite curse receding and eventually dissipating. Doing her best to recover from the shock of attacking a teacher she carefully tried to remove her foot as best as she could. The moment she relieved the pressure from Ishigamis' forehead, a small but disturbing amount of blood squirted from the wound and landed on her bare leg. Skived out by the spray she pulled back her foot hard without thinking only to see Ishigami roll her eyes into the back of her skull then crashed onto the ground. Despite the loud bodily noise that her now ex-art teacher made, she was more concerned with Tsukune. Slowly but surely the stone that formed around his body began to recede from his free hand and traveled down his arm. Swiftly removing herself from his stone body she watched with anticipation as life returned to him and the others. One by one the sound of falling bodies alerted her to the near revival of the other victims. They all slumped into a dog-pile showing no signs of consciousness what so ever and at that moment she feared for the worst. In her head thoughts of death swam in her mind; what if the girls had died while petrified? What if Tsukunes' fragile human body wasn't able to withstand the effects of ossification?

After several minutes of holding his statue in her arms He returned to his normal state of being but pale and cold. His body flopped uselessly in her arms both him and the others showing no signs of life. All that she could do was hold onto him with the hope that he would wake up and tell her that everything was ok, that everybody would be fine, that no matter what had or would happen that he wouldn't leave her again.

* * *

(Unknown time, unknown location)

Like a reoccurring dream, darkness swallowed his being whole, not unlike being inside the stomach of some gigantic beast. While not truly awake Tsukune was not truly asleep either, he just floating through the soothing shadows of his mind thinking about what was and had happened within the past week. The memory of promising himself that no matter what he would not let anything bother him entered his head allowing his body to wash over with disappointment. This entire week everything bothered him to the near brink of insanity only to bring him back and thrust him even closer to the edge. While laying on his back in the endless void his nearly burnt-out mind finally had time to cool down and body had shut down all non essential functions so that it finally had time to heal and relax. Time no longer existed or if it did it didn't pass in the traditional linear sense. Seconds that passed felt like eons and as far as he knew a minute hadn't even come to be.

Lying in the dark pools of his sub-consciousness Tsukune finally felt that he could be alone with his thoughts and not worry about anything else ( internal or external) interrupting him. Once he was finally able to collect his thoughts without the acerbic voice of the wicked relic offering its unwanted two cents on everything he allowed all thoughts fill him. As he lay motionless in his own personal abyss he thought about his behavior over the past week and all he could feel was the hot tinge of guilt. He had thought that his only friends were plotting against him, his best friend using him, believing that everyone was turning their backs on him, even the most innocent of actions brought on episodes of near violent paranoia. As he floated with his thoughts and memories the only reoccurring notion he had was how sad it was that the only way he could have this piece of momentary solace was if he was heavily medicated or in some sort of coma-like state. Once he decided that it was time for him to return to the real world a small speck of light shined brightly within the backdrop of the darkness which he gladly ran too.

The moment he emerged from the tunnel he was met with high powered florescent lights and the smell of antiseptics. Doing his best he tried to move but found it nearly impossible as nearly every joint seemed to be locked up by unimaginable stiffness. Waiting for the blood flow to return to his extremities he decided to examine his surroundings. Moving what little he could he felt that he was on top of a comforter of some sort and a separation curtain. When the sounds of a heart monitor and a shuffling body came to him he knew where he was almost immediately. Before he could say a word the curtain pulled apart to reveal a smiling Moka on the other side. Her eyes were heavy with relief and held a smile that not only exposed her little fangs and lit up the room. A strange combination of shame and happiness filled him as Moka sat down on her bed and watched him fixedly. The moment blood began to pool back into his joints he did his best to move them, popping them all in one swift motion. Moka could only cringe at the noise and watch Tsukune huddle over himself, breathing slowly through his nose and out his mouth, fighting off a dizzy spell he clutched the sides of his head and tried to calm the tinnitus in his ears. Yawning loudly he did his best to speed up his recovery so that he could talk to Moka who waited patiently. After several minutes of self-induced therapy his mind and body were sound enough to hold a conversation. Rubbing the back of his neck he looked around the room and then back at Moka who was waiting for him. As he already knew where he was the only question that really burned in his mind was…

"How did we get here?"

His voice was groggy and cracked slightly but was still comprehensible. Moka sat on her mattress with a sort of embarrassed look about her.

"Ishigami-sensei's first period class found us and all of the missing girls on the floor. Once I told them to find the nurse they rushed us all back here."

Looking around the room he didn't see any other beds or people for that matter. Jutting his thumb out he gave Moka a quizzical look who immediately answered his unasked question.

"The others were brought to the hospital due to their prolonged exposure along with Ishigami-sensei herself. They said that because of our short-term exposure we should be fine within a few hours, a day at most."

Still rubbing the back of his head he let her words sink into his skull. Bringing his pointer and middle fingers together and rubbed his temples. Finding his mind disturbingly quite, the thing beneath his skin was unusually silent. Staring back up at Moka he could still feel the gnawing fear of paranoia still growing within the pit of his stomach. He felt disgusted that even after she had apparently saved him and everybody else he still could not trust her completely. The ideas of secret agendas and lies between friends still haunted him and whether it was because of the mask or some deep hidden neurosis he couldn't say anymore. The secret he was hiding from everyone was eating him alive from the inside out. Moka was aware that the mask was on him but he was certain that she was not aware of the fact that IT was aware. She probably thought that it was just some artifact that happen to save his life instead of trying to ruin it and Kurumu, Gin and Yukari believed that he was a monster just like the rest of them. He wanted to tell them all the truth but instead asked another question.

"What were you doing with that crazy b-I mean lady.""

Strangely she shied away at the question with severe case of embarrassment. Without a single word she reached down under her bed and brought up a canvas. Anxiety rose up as Tsukune stared intently at the back of the canvas. Doing his best not to show fear but his already feeble shell was about to crack when he noticed that she was still blushing. Thinking that unless she was severally mentally ill the painting she was holding was not his but somebody else's possibly her own. With a deepening blush she look down at the painting then back at Tsukune and spoke in a small voice.

"W-well I wanted some extra lessons and Ishigami-sensei said that she needed…a model."

The moment those words left her mouth she immediately looked away from him and stared off to the side. Tsukune sat there dumbstruck as he absorbed her words with great interest. Image after image of her dressed in designer jeans, belly shirts and tight fitting skimpy dresses filled his imagination but still wanting to know why she modeled for the deranged art instructor he carefully chose his next words.

"Okay…so you modeled for her…probably wore some outfits maybe. What exactly did she do for you?"

Again she looked down at the canvas with an even deepening blush.

"She was giving me extra painting lessons so that I could be better."

"Better for what?"

Still with a blush present on her face Moka turned the canvas around to face him. He gazed at the painting and was surprised by it to say the least. It was a portrait of him, back facing the front but looking over his shoulder. The detail and brushwork was amazing, bright colors popped and the shading was subtle, if anything it was like staring at a picture of himself. His eyes were of a deep brown maybe only a few shades deeper than his actual eye color but still remarkable accurate. As he stared into her art he was most captivated by the look she had a painted for him. It was a far of look, almost like he was pondering an unanswerable question but while still holding a little half-smile on his face. To say that he was touched would be a gross understatement, to see how she saw him even though he didn't see that himself. With tears swelling in his eyes Tsukune did his best not to burst out while Moka beamed a smile towards his direction.

"I hope you didn't think that I forgot about your birthday today."

His mind sparked when she mentioned his birthday. With the mixture of fatigue and suspicion of everyone he had completely forgotten about his own birthday but Moka, his best friend, had not only remembered but gave him the most considerate gift he probably ever gotten in his life. When she passed the painting to him she stood there, waiting for his response. Self-portrait still in hand he stared at it for along time staying absolutely silent. Taking it as a sign of disapproval Moka could feel disappointment budding in her stomach the only plausible action she could come up with was to somehow take it back. Quietly stuttering out an apology she tried to discreetly grab the painting out from him.

"Gomen Tsukune! Please forgive me I thought that it was good enough but if you don't like it I can take it back!"

Before she could take it back Tsukune pulled it in even closer. The way he held the painting close to his body was almost like it was a life preserver. Still unable to tell what was going through his head Moka could only sit there and wait for him to say something. Finally tearing his eye away from the painting Tsukune looked her straight in the eyes with tears in his.

"Moka…I need to tell you something."

Immediately she could tell that what he had to tell her something of grave importance. He had called by her name without a suffix attached at the end once before and now again. Not knowing what he was about to tell her she tried to brace herself for whatever she could imagine. Tsukune opened his mouth only to be interrupted by the sound of a slamming door and a large huffing noise. Tsukune turned only to be met with an open hand. The hand came across his cheek and though he felt no pain the shock was more than enough. Gathering his wits Tsukune was greeted by the sight of a distraught Kurumu and a stunned Yukari. Kurumu stood over the two shaking with either rage or regret while staring the two down. Before either of them could ask what she had done Kurumu pointed an accusing finger at Tsukune and muttered a single word.

"Why?"

That single word stopped all three of them in their tracks. It was a simple question with complex implications. While Tsukune wasn't entirely sure what it was she was asking, he didn't have to wait long for clarification. Without second thoughts or warning she flung her arms around his neck and buried him within her chest.

"Why are you always putting yourself in harm's way? Don't you ever think about how this affects me? Affects all of us? Do you have a death wish?"

Still hanging onto him with dear life she nearly crushed the life out of him only to stop when the others pried her off. Gulping down portions of air his mind processed her many questions. It did seem that trouble found him wherever he went but whether it was due to bouts of bad luck, the evil artifact under his skin or forces beyond his knowledge and control were responsible he didn't like the fact that it was possibly hurting his friends. As he mulled over Kurumu's words the actual girl was doing her best to calm down but was still finding it difficult to get over her hysterics. After several long, arduous minutes the girls finally calmed her down enough so that they wouldn't have to worry about another episode. Slowly but surely they all gathered around his bed, waiting for any response that he could give them. It took him a while but mustering what nerve he had left only to have it dashed when the door opened a second time to reveal Gin holding a smile and a cake. The moment he entered and started to sing, everyone began to chime in with him. Though he grinned on the outside on the inside he was frustrated. He wanted to tell them the truth but the moment Gin had entered he was relieved. It was a convenient distraction for holding it off for another day.

The hours passed and the group held their party within the nurse's office with minimal interruptions. Gifts were passed and pieces of cake were eaten along with the exchange of laughter and frivolities. Each of his friends spoke about him fondly and their favorite stories about Tsukune. As they celebrated his birthday all he could think about was his obsession with needing to know what thoughts were traversing in their skulls. As hard as he tried he knew that despite resisting the urge he was fighting he would have to tell them the truth one day soon.

* * *

(Authors note)

Sorry that this chapter took so long but life has been kinda hectic for me lately and my wells of inspiration are drying up! Please review.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	7. In The Land of The Pigs

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

"_As we ascend the social ladder, viciousness wears a thicker mask"_

_Erich Fromm_

In The Land of The Pigs…

In a dark remote room buried beneath the school grounds, unknown to those who walked on among the surface a secret meeting was under way. Several indistinguishable shadows stood encircled around a pile of newspapers in the deep darkness. Voices of different timbres and pitches echoed within the tiny space each with their own opinion about the subject at hand. If any outsider had been there they would have been shocked by the things they would have heard. Despite all of the talking the first to make a move was the largest and least talkative of the shadows. In a deep gravelly voice the dark giant spoke out of anger.

"We got to stop this now before it gets out of hand!"

A large and meaty hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed the papers violently. Shaking the newspapers in front of the group for a few seconds than threw them to the ground. Soon even more voices agreed with the large shadow of the hand and brought out even louder and more violent suggestions than before. The next form of movement was from a rather small shadow and instead of a hand a large wooden pole whacked the stack of papers which was immediately followed by a soft feminine voice.

"Do you really believe that this rag could pose such a threat to us? Especially trash run by rabble like this group."

These outbursts brought forth even more remarks about the subject at hand. Each person within the circle broke out in an angry eruption and flung curses into the air. The decibel levels rose to near deafening levels until stopped by a small snapping of fingers. Though it was not seen, each one of the hidden persons turned their eyes to the person who snapped their fingers. As soon as the mystery person deemed it quiet enough they spoke out in a cold, emotionless voice.

"We do not need to worry about this trash. When the time comes…"

The sound of another snapping and the smell of smoke filled the room. The papers began to spontaneously smolder and ash in the middle of the room. The gesture in its self was daunting but when followed by the comment that was to come up, it was enough to send shivers up the group's spine.

"They will learn not to tangle with the PCS again."

Still circled around the paper the group watched carefully as it fumed wildly. If someone were to see this they would think that this group was staring at the tiny flames when in actuality they were staring at a picture in the middle of the paper. The picture was of a group of five people; three girls and two boys.

* * *

(School Grounds-Morning)

The grounds of Youkai academy were a buzzed with life as the students wandered around before classes. Gaggles of students converged and dissolved much like herds of animals on the Serengeti. As they comingled with each other a few were out there with their own agendas, either trying to hock their wares or trying to find out some sort of inside information on someone else. It was like a small Bazaar with all of the commotion and hustle and very much like a Bazaar there were plenty of open booths. Surrounding one of the many booths were; Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, Gin and Tsukune who were each handing out a copy of their clubs newspaper. It was Friday, three days after the whole Ishigami scandal and two days after her escape. The school's security had discovered her escape early in the morning and searched well into the night only to find no trace of her or any hints of a partner. The school was asunder with crazy rumors and wild accusations but Gin felt that even though they had no solid facts the newspaper club should do their best to quell them.

Hundreds of students surrounded the girls as they handed them out to their adoring masses. Moka and Yukari handed out the papers one by one and Tsukune and Gin stood behind the booth placing more papers in their hands. As hard as the other girls had worked, Kurumu worked even harder. Whenever it came time to pass out papers she was always a bit more enthusiastic than the others and none but Tsukune knew the reason as to why. Many months before when Kurumu had first started to follow Tsukune and proclaimed her undying love for him, he had asked her only one question: Why him? And she replied with a simple answer. She told him about of her past life before the academy, days of when boys would chase after her for only her looks and other girls reject her for the exact same reason. They were empty days of isolation that she eventually came to accept. With sympathetic ears Tsukune came to understand why she felt so strongly towards him and the other club members, they did not care about the way she looked but rather the way she was.

While the others went on believing that her behavior was attributed to her competitive nature, they themselves were handing out as many as they could, watching the students reading their papers. They read the articles and horoscopes along with the other little tidbits of information that filled the pages. Crowds of people just stood in front of the booth doing nothing but read their papers. This filled him with a sense of great pride seeing this many people reading something that he helped create, so much so that the near continuous feeling of paranoia was forgotten for a few minutes. Over the past days a sense of impending dread was filling his stomach more and more along with the paranoia's of everyday, almost like it was anticipating some upcoming tragedy, making preparations for some big cataclysmic event was about to pass. With all of this going on it was a nice reprieve to have his soul cleansed with pride instead of anger or fear. Despite all of these happenings it was good to see that he could still enjoy a few of the simpler things in life.

Completely unaware the entire newspaper club did not see a section of the crowd part open to reveal something worrisome. A small band of students dressed in similar navy blue uniforms walking down the make-shift aisle and each was scary in their own way. The group consisted of four people; two girls and two boys. One of the girl's was a pale ghost-like facade of a person. She had an oval shaped-face along with similar shaped eyes, long black hair and a thin nose. The other girl was the complete opposite; a bob of orange hair on top a rounded face which had a jovial nature about it but that obviously hid a darker side. The boys were just as different from each other just as the girls were. The biggest one was anything but handsome; his eyes were blank and cold, head squared with a buzz cut of brown hair and a mouth was nothing more than an open gash, all in all it was almost like he was crudely made out of clay. The last person, by the way he held himself was most likely in charge of the group, was fair skinned but possessed extremely sharp features and piercing eyes. He had flowing platinum-blonde hair that passed his shoulders along with two red marks on his forehead in place of eyebrows. Had the newspaper club seen this they would have also noticed their club leader walking away calmly, not even looking over his shoulder.

The moment they had noticed the group's presence was when a soft 'ahem' caught their attention. All of the present newspaper club members turned to the group with a mixture of surprise and delight. Before Yukari, Tsukune or Moka could do anything Kurumu quickly handed the 'leader' a copy of their paper with a smile.

"I hope you enjoy this edition of the Youkai Academy Newspaper!"

The leader accepted the paper graciously and thumbed through the pages while casting a few glances of mild interest. Something bothered Tsukune about this mysterious newcomer, something that did not sit right with him. He had noticed that everybody, besides the remaining newspaper club members, was staring at him with extreme terrified intrest. Watching their expressions he could clearly see that they held him in fearfully high regards. They all examined his every movement and reactions to the written words in front of him. Tsukune had seen similar looks given to him in the beginning of the school year but non as so intense as these, it was a look of fear for death not of bodily harm, even his supposed comrades looked at him with more fear than respect. After finishing the paper he folded it with great care then brandished it high up into the air for everyone to see. With a loud, emotionless voice he spoke out to the entire crowd.

"Not bad for a bunch of lies."

A loud gasp rung out through the crowd as this proclamation reached their ears and even a few of the students threw their papers to the ground almost like it was some sort of wriggling, blasphemous thing. At once Kurumu screamed in protest at his wild accusation.

"What the hell are you talking about! None of these stories are lies!"

The older student gave a cold snicker to Kurumu who was winding down from her outburst. He then threw the paper at her face and spoke out in a superior tone of voice.

"Really? Then how about this story right here, blaming a well respected teacher for the crime of kidnapping and imprisoning students that were merely ill?"

Most of the group were shocked to hear this and even more so when the mob behind him shouted out in agreement. Still filled with righteous anger Kurumu screamed out once more in defense for the club she loved so much.

"That's a bunch a bull and you know it! Not only did she kidnapped them but ran! Only guilty people run!"

Again the mystery man dismissed her words with a simple wave of the hand and some well picked words.

"Or maybe the poor woman was aware of your muckraking ways and felt no other choice but to flee."

For once Kurumu had nothing to say, not because he was right but rather the way he seem to punch holes in her explanations and made others rally onto his side. The entire club was stunned to near silence as they could hear the beginnings of chanting as the crowd surrounded them in a menacing manner. Nearly in an instant Kurumu regained her composure, narrowed her eyes and hissed evilly at the student.

"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right?"

The student let out a small chuckle and gave a slight bow.

"How rude of me, you can call me Kuyou and for the right, leader of the Academy Public Safety Commission it is my right to protect the school from troublemakers such as the members of this club."

This time it was Tsukune who spoke up. To him it was unforgivable to insult his friends, the club he didn't care about but the people within it was another story. Taking a step forward he stared directly into Kuyou's eyes which held a mocking look of superiority.

"Do not insult them, they've done nothing wrong."

In the moment between words something strange happened. Kuyou let out a small chuckle but wasn't the only one, the artifact beneath him too let his amusement known. Taken off guard by the eerie similarities between the two and was truly disturbed by the next set of events. Kuyou spoke out and Tsukune couldn't help but listen.

"Aren't you the tough one**/**_** Aren't you the tough one.**_"

Chills ran through his spine, unable to believe the similarities in between the two. Kuyou took the silence as a sign of weakness he continued with his tirade against the club members. His voice was filled with snarky criticisms and tones of elitist superiority.

"Out of the five, four of you are well known malefactors."

One by one he pointed an accusing finger at each and every one of them, announcing their crimes to the entire school. First he pointed at Kurumu then Yukari and finally at Tsukune.

"A simple-minded temptress who once planned on ensnaring the male populace of this school, a well-known prankster who attack a respected class representative, and finally a brute who most likely spread vicious rumors about himself in order augment his own reputation."

Finally he pointed to Moka who had an expression of worried confusion. While he stared at her he too also had a strange look on him, almost as if he was angry about something. With an extra vigor he burned holes into her with his own eyes.

"Someone who would openly associate themselves with scum like these can not be innocent so because of this and by the order of the Youkai Academy Public Safety Commission this club is shut down indefinitely."

The crowd burst forth with cheers of victorious delight while outrage came from within the group, especially from Tsukune. The crowd that was with them mere minutes before had turned against them by a few simple words that came from Kuyou who was demanding that his potentially only stable line of sanity be taken away. Again he could hear the mask's evil voice, even over the screams of the angry mob.

'_**Look at them, cattle each and every one of them and the next more easily manipulated than the last. You call them 'People' but I see them as what they truly are. They are 'Sheeple' and nothing more.'**_

Its corrosive words slowly burned deep within his mind as the mask's as he watched the masses chanting over and over wanting the club to disband. He had always tried to believe in the best of people but lately found it more and more difficult and now it seemed nearly impossible. The ugly faces of the easily riled students surrounded them like the many gravestones that littered the grounds. Eventually it was Yukari who spoke up to them all with her small but strong voice.

"You can't shut us down! The only persons that can do that are the club founder or president and Gin-sempai would never…allow…"

It was in this moment that they all had realized that their club president was gone, cane and all. They were all left alone with the Academy Public Safety Commission and the entire crowd's ridicule and laughter. Kuyou on the other hand not laugh but rather gave them eyes of pity and tone of sympathy.

"Putting your faith in a cowering pervert, I pity you. Since you all have chosen so poorly in a leader I shall allow you 24 hours to come up with the decision to break this club up on your own, however if you do not…"

With a small glance and a nod the giant raised one his fist and brought it down. The booth cracked under the pressure of the fist and showered the entire area with newspapers. Shouts came forth from the crowd as the PSC turned their backs to the newspaper club. Before they could stop her Kurumu began to do the unthinkable, raising a clawed hand and made an attempt at Kuyou. She didn't even come close to striking distance when the long haired ghost-faced girl spun around and spat a thick white fluid substance from her mouth which quickly adhered to the offending hand. Kurumu tried her best to remove the offending gunk from her trapped hand but the goo just became more tangled. The remaining club members did their best to help and hide her shame from the laughing masses. Kuyuo turned around and gave them all an elitist smirk and spoke in the same tone.

"You now have 12 hours…Keito-san, that's a nasty habit you have there."

The PSC laughed at their expense. It was probably the most humiliating thing that had happened to them and now their club was being taken away from them by force. They huddled together and tried to wait out the storm of laughter and ridicule until they were left alone with each other's misery. Tsukune stared down at the papers that that he and his friends poured their souls into now littering the grounds with sad eyes and softly spoke out.

"Why would they do this to us?"

'_**Who cares? God your petty and piddly-ass problems bore the hell out of me. I'm done with this and wash my hands of you.'**_

For the first time ever he could feel the malevolent presence of the mask disappearing from the confines of his mind. For a moment he could not believe that it was gone and actually called out for it only to receive no answer. Once more he tried to get its attention but still nothing. It was then that a strange feeling started to flood his being; it was not one of happiness but rather dread.

* * *

(Several hours' later-Club room)

The entire club, including Gin, was sitting in silence, contemplating the ultimatum that they were just given. They now had less than five hours to destroy all their copies of the Youkai Academy Newspaper and effectively disband the Newspaper club or face the wrath of the PSC. Each thinking about how much they loved this club, the only place where they were able to all to see each other and not worry about classes or other students but now the students that they didn't have to worry about were baying for blood and a mysterious 'Safety' commission the driving force. As much as Tsukune hated this he knew that the others must have been feeling just as horrible. In the few minutes that had passed the utter silence that consumed the room was broken by their own club president whose cane lightly echoed in the somewhat empty room. They all watched with silent desperation as Gin began to collect the rest of the club's copies with his free hand. The on his face was almost like that of an automaton, emotionless and controlled. Staring off into what could only be described as the cold abyss of space when he had finished collecting the papers. He slapped them down on the desk in a vicarious manner then pulled out a box which he began to place them in.

With each paper he put away in the box their mutual feelings of dread became less surreal and more bona fide. If it wasn't for their disbelief they would have shouted out with protest but they were still stunned by this act of extreme submission from such a dominate personality. Finally after a seeming eternity of watching the nearly impossible event he did something that almost sickened all of them; he passed the box to Kurumu. The girl in question stared at the box like it was some detestable thing that slithered out from some slimy pool of filth. Without a passing moment Gin spoke two small but heartbreaking words to her.

"Burn 'em."

It was devastating to hear their club president say that to their most dedicated member and the damaged clearly showed on her face. Her features let everyone see a look of what could only be described as brutal betrayal when she pushed the box away only to have Gin push it back even firmer than before. With new resolve Kurumu pushed the box away once more and spoke with a fierce determination.

"I will not! I will have no part in this and if you're too much of a coward to fight back then don't ask me to destroy what I love."

It was then that Gin let out a morose chuckle and stared directly into her eyes with what could only be described as anger mixed with self-regret. His voice was dark and held somewhat of a sadistic tone when he spoke to her.

"You don't have a choice, as a matter o' fact you lost the option ta refuse when you stupidly attacked Kuyou, he'll want it no other way."

With an angry force Gin stood up with the box in one hand and cane in the other and finally dumped in the hands of Kurumu. Almost immediately she dropped back onto the desk and crossed her arms under her ample chest. Gin let out a furious groan as he managed to pick the box back up and face her even as she went on arguing with him.

"Why can't we fight them? There are only four of them and we-"

Instantly she was interrupted by his loud, barking laugh.

"Only four? They're more than four of 'em an' even if there wasn't Kuyou would still be too much for any of us! It's better that we just do as he says…better ta let sleepin' dogs lie."

To show that he was finished playing he limped over to Tsukune and thrust the box into his hands, knowing fully well that Kurumu would follow him. Making their way to the door Kurumu turned around once more to face Gin and speak one last scathing comment with anger, tear-filled eyes.

"Fitting that you should say that…seeing how you're running with your tail between your legs."

Without another word she marched out at a furious pace before Tsukune who followed her with his head hung low and disappointment swelling in his eyes. As the door shut tight behind them Moka and Yukari could only sit in stunned silence in the aftermath of the argument and their club president pretending not to have heard any of it.

* * *

(Academy Grounds)

With utter devastation deeply ingrained in her every steps Kurumu wallowed through the dirt leaves and other forms of detritus that littered the path behind the academy during their lonely walk together. She had taken the box away from Tsukune and spent the entire time looking down at the newspapers that she had tried so hard to defend. The silence between the two was almost staggering, she who had said everything on her mind to protect this club and failed and he who said nothing and failed himself. When they had reached their destination they were in front of the school's incinerator. It was a strangely shaped machine; pipes stuck out at odd angles spewing out either thick black or white smog, gauges placed in area's that would queerly represent eyes and instead of a hinged door it had an opening with jagged teeth-like breakings, all-in-all this machine looked like a squat square shaped monster ready to be fed. With a heavy and pained heart Tsukune turned to Kurumu who was still clinging to the box tightly. As much as he hated doing it he tried to pry the box away from her grasp but she still held on. Her eyes held a look of pleading desperation, a look of someone who was on their last prayer.

"Please Tsukune-kun, don't destroy them not after all the hard work we put into making these!"

Unfortunately this final plea fell on somewhat deaf ears as Tsukune still tried to take it away but with even less enthusiasm than before. It wasn't until he stopped trying to take the box away was when she tried to convince him of her plan and that's when things began to go wrong.

"We need to fight them and together we can beat them! You can probably take them-"

"NO!"

Tsukune was terrified by the idea of her plan especially with the prospect of him being involved with any kind of fighting. The moment she mentioned the possibility of fighting he could feel the mask rousing within his mind. Quickly wanting to quash any notions of fighting or confusion without revealing his biggest secret Tsukune tried his best to think up an excuse for her sake.

"Kurumu-san…I really don't think that I could do anything about them. Gin-sempai is probably right about them being too much for us."

Instantly she shook her head in disagreement and spoke out in excitement.

"That's not true! I've seen what you can do, we all have, and there is no way that we can lose!"

"NO Kurumu-san…that's not me, that's not what I am."

She reacted with what could be described as angry confusion but before she could react something caught the both of them by surprise. The box, which Kurumu held onto so dearly, was violently wrenched from her arms that it knocked her off balance and right into Tsukune's arms. They watched with amazement as the box flew through the air all on its own and landed in the trees. They watched it land into the open palm of an all too familiar ghast faced figure who stared down at them with malicious delight. Balancing the box in one hand she used her free hand to waggle her finger at them, as if to scold them like children.

"Tsk tsk, not even capable of doing the simplest of tasks right and all that nasty talk of fighting, for shame."

A tiny snicker passed Keito's lips as she jumped down from her branch and onto the ground. She held out the box in front of her in a toying manner but neither Kurumu nor Tsukune fell for the bait. When they refrained from any attempt of grabbing the box Keito was sent into a sneered at the both of them and without warning flung the box into the open incinerator. Kurumu tried to scream out but was choked off by the putrid, acrid black smog that spewed forth from the mouth of the great metal beast. The stench of burning paper filled the area along with the shrill laughter of the PSC member. Watching all clubs' hard work go up in smoke was too much for Kurumu to handle and within that frenzied moment she snapped. Letting out a furious shriek she charged at Keito with her claws fully extended, wings unfurled and tail twitching with anger but Keito held her ground with a steady smirk.

Tsukune tried to call out for her, to stop her but found it to be futile. Before Kurumu was able to come remotely close to Keito, spat out the same white viscous fluid from earlier which immediately found itself around not only her claws but of her arms and chest with enough force to bind her to one of the few trees that grew near the incinerator. The choking smog began to fill her lungs while burning her eyes and nostrils. Tsukune hastily ran to her side and tried to free her but his own hands soon became entangled within the sticky white mass. While they both struggled to free themselves their captor cackled with delight as she watched them both thrash about and spoke aloud to the both of them.

"Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly! Struggle all you want but the silk that I produce from within my body can't be broken by weaklings such as yourselves."

Keito then stretched and pulled her body in every angle with a sort of smugness about it. As the two tried even harder to free themselves from their sticky imprisonment a loud cracking noise alerted the both of them to the strange girl. They watched as her stomach began to unfurl itself open but in place of internal organs or any ribcage to speak of out spewed six long spidery legs touched down on the ground with a tentative prodding of the ground. They both watched in awe-struck horror as she laid herself on the ground only to be lifted by these newfound limbs. They witnessed her transform even further as two pincer-like appendages erupted from her ever widening face and numerous eyes open along her forehead. Spit and webbing flowed freely from her open mouth as she slowly made her way to them at a frightfully spider-like pace. Both Tsukune and Kurumu renewed their attempts at escape but still found it as useless as before, only eliciting a hoarse laugh from the now transformed Keito.

"Please struggle some more it does whet my appetite so."

Kurumu turned to tell Tsukune to save himself but was silenced by the look he had, a look not of fear or anger but of something deeper. It was an expression that one who has looked into the true face of horror and did not blink; it was the face of someone not frightened by any mere enemy and was determined beyond the realm of reality. While Kurumu was captivated by him Keito saw the face of a stone cold killer. It was the perfect poker face one that showed no emotion of any kind but it was the way he held that look was unnerving her more than the look itself. He went from absolute fear to nothing in no time flat, it was unnatural, and the more she looked at him the more she became afraid and wanted it to stop. Without warning or hesitation she launched herself at the two, fangs bared and clawed hands outstretched, ready to end their lives. Tsukune was too busy trying to free them from the gunk to notice but Kurumu watched everything with a silent horror as it played out. Everything slowed down, as if time wanted to amplify the horror of what was going to happen by that much, and what should have been a split second had turned into an age. Every movement was visible and each passing instant felt as Keito flew through the air, nearly upon them both. Within her last moments she turned her head to face the boy she loved and speak her final words.

She tried to speak but found herself mesmerized by his expression once more. The calm confidence in his features, the stoic look in his eyes as he pulled at the silky mess that entwined the both of them to the trunk of the tree, showing no fear was awe-inspiring to her. It was at this point she knew that she could not be willing to give up if he wasn't and with this newfound courage turned to face their would-be executioner. Within this brief space of measured time Kurumu had made one simple but crucial movement; the raising her left knee. Had Tsukune been truly aware of his current surroundings and what was about to happen next he would have been amazed. With everything she had Kurumu delivered a powerful kick which by itself would have been nothing to worry about if it were not for the thin saber-like nails that ripped through her shoes in such a frightful manner. Avoiding all possible damage Keito who, with an outstanding feat of acrobatics, managed to climb her way up a tree in a creepily spider-like fashion, hissing and spitting at her potential prey.

With renewed energy Kurumu began to pull and push against the gooey substance along with Tsukune until the sound of breaking threads became apparent. Soon the two of them were freed from their sticky prison and rushing out of the incinerators toxic fumes they could they both gulped in deep breaths of fresh air. Freed from the constriction of the webs and of the foul reeking breath of the incinerator they both began too feel their minds clear of the smoke's miasmic effects. Kurumu was still dizzy from the combination of adrenaline and choking black smoke but somehow Tsukune was fine, unaffected by all. Before a thought had even entered his head he began to root around the ground looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. Soon he found a sizable rock and clutched it in the palm of his hand. He looked up to see Keito descending down upon them, excreting a thin web from under her skirt, and at once he scrambled away from the spot while keeping his sight on Keito. She touched down on the ground and tiptoed over Kurumu who was still coughing up the smoke that she inhaled moments before. Slowly like a creeping creature Keito crept after him with all eight eyes transfixed on him and a string of web/saliva coming down from her mouth. With a kind of swift promptness he rushed to his feet only to stand there in a somewhat paralytic state while clutching the stone tightly in his hand. Simultaneously fighting the urges to run or attack he stood there only to have Keito embrace him with her spidery limbs. The moment he could feel her spear-like tips against his back he knew that it was too late. With a heavy breath she whispered into his ear with a gleeful quality about it.

"I'm going to enjoy killing then drain your corpses!"

As soon as the words left her words left her mouth she pierced him with her spider legs. He tried to scream out but found his vocal chords unable to produce any sound. Tsukune stared directly into Keito's malformed face only to see her stretch open her strangely formed jaw to incredible lengths, producing an ungodly screech. She was about to crunch down onto him with an incredible viciousness when Tsukune snapped out of whatever mental block that inhibited his ability to act before and brought the stone down on her face. A loud and grotesque crack was heard and Keito released him only which caused him even more pain as her legs exited his body in a brutal manner. Falling to his knees he unintentionally released his makeshift weapon only to see it already split in two. Had his pain been lesser he would have turned his head upwards to observe the damage his attack had caused.

Half of Keito's face was caved-in while several of her newly-formed eyes were shut possible forever. Still hungry and extremely angry Keito hissed at him with a fury that only a woman scorned could produce and tried to finished the job she'd started. With the last bit of strength that he possessed he did his best to get away but found it useless. Both his strength and bodily fluids began to drain from his being. Silently she loomed over him with a malignant odium in her remaining eyes and a wicked hiss produced from her lessened-functioning jaw. With a frightfully powerful stance Keito stood up on her hind legs and spread out her remaining legs. Covering the entire area he knew that it would be moments before she would pounce. Despite the fact that he was about to die he could feel his fluids oozed leisurely back into his wounds, clots and all, which hurt more than the actual injury. While he could feel his energy returning to him he knew that he would not survive the direct attack that was about to come. He stared down at his would-be attacker with an uncharacteristic glare of defiance, showing no fear or anguish, which infuriated Keito beyond words and pushed her past words or reason. With a mighty thrust she forced herself into the air with all her spear-tipped legs pointed downward towards his heart. Tsukune held his breath, trying to keep himself calm though he knew that his end was coming and all he could think about was the memories that he had accumulated over the short period of time he was in this school; flashes of Saizou pushing him off the cliff, the accursed object that had spoken to him in the cave, the unholy anger that he had to fight back on a daily basis along with nightmarish dreams during the night. With all of these things swimming in his head he couldn't help but think that it might've been better off he was dead. It was then that more memories entered his head. These were of a different nature as they were sweet memories of Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, and Gin; each one of them laughing together or moments of just one of them hanging out with him. It was these memories that pulled him out of his melancholic despair.

In the few seconds that he had left to live he tried his best to resolve himself when he felt a sudden surge of alien strength rush through his body. With inhuman speed he swung himself onto his back and with the proper timing Keito landed on his feet he pushed against the oncoming girl with everything he had, launching Keito back into the air with quite the look of surprise. Tsukune watched as Keito spun out of control in the air trying to steady herself. The once powerful gush of alien power had soon diminished to almost nothing and Keito had already balanced herself out and spread her legs out in order slow her descent down. Tsukune stared into the malformed face had a sickeningly nasty grin. For the first time in this whole ordeal Tsukune had actually shown fear when he raised his arms up to cover his face and it was at that moment that she let out another ungodly screech as she was about to land upon her prey.

Before Tsukune could scream out something happened that he didn't expect. Kurumu shot out like a bullet through the air and tackled Keito just before she had a chance to land on her prey once again and the two became locked. In a midair mess of flailing legs and claws the two flew through the air, screaming at the top of their lungs as they soared towards a particularly thick tree. Tsukune tried to yell out to warn Kurumu but found that it was both too late and futile. Both girls slammed into the tree which let out an almighty crack down the middle. He watched in horror as both girls fell down the trunk of the tree, hitting the branches on their way down. The moment that both girls hit the ground they slumped over in seemingly unconscious states. Tsukune wanted to rush over to her but wasn't totally convinced that the fight was over. He stood in that one spot trying to figure out his next move when he finally saw some movement. He saw Keito's spidery legs began to twitch and immediately he tried his best to restrain himself. Every fiber that was his being told him to run towards the slumped bodies and pull Kurumu out but something was holding him back, something that was not part of his being. It was on the same level of pure instinct but nowhere near the same.

This mysterious force held him back from trying to help his friend, telling him that he needed time to heal. The more Keito's legs twitched and moved, the harder it became for him to just stand idly by as his friend lay underneath. Each passing second was more excruciating than the last until it came to a point where he could not stand and wait idly by. Tsukune launched himself forward with every intention of rescuing his friend but almost right away found his legs to buckle underneath him. Immediately he tried to get back up but found that they would not obey his command. For over a minute he found himself wrestling with his own body only to find that it was too late. Keito's body had arisen from the ground, trembling but strong, she found her bearings. Tsukune stopped any and all attempts on getting back up but instead watched with dismay as Keito just stood up.

It was more than a few minutes when Tsukune noticed that something was wrong with the PSC member. The way she just stood there was unnatural and unnerving, almost like she was dead. He watched her twitch and sway in the tiniest of ways like she was under some kind of hypnotic spell and if he wasn't already incapacitated he would have still been sitting in that one position with a look of disbelief and fright. Moments passed when Tsukune had finally noticed something truly astonishing. He found that Keito had not risen from the ground on her own accord but was rather was being lifted by Kurumu herself. Skirt and shirt torn he watched her lift the unconscious girl just over her shoulders, wings and tail trembling and skin glistening with sweat. This awe-inspiring act of strength was amplified as Kurumu let out an almighty grunt of power and tossed Keito over her shoulder and an impressive thud. In a un-lady like fashion Kurumu wiped the blood that dribbled from her busted lip she turned her attention to the sprawled form of the girl who attacked them and spoke with a loud labored voice.

"Welcome to…my parlor…you crazy bitch!"

Keito, who had no response, laid on the dirt floor and was slowly reverting back into her human form. Though she had won Kurumu also reverted back into her bedraggle human state. Once more Tsukune tried again to rise from the ground and found that he was successful this time but was still very weak and that his body radiated with a pain that was just bearable. Despite her injuries, some self-sustained, she still had enough energy to rush over to him and prop him up against her shoulder. She dragged both herself and him back towards the school but could feel her entire body began to shudder and tremble under the added weight. She couldn't handle it any longer and fell down. Both of them lay on the ground, weak and without energy, on the brink of blacking out, Tsukune couldn't help but think about what might happen in the near future now that Keito was no longer a threat when he was lulled into the inviting abyss.

* * *

(Nurse's office-Several hours later)

Tsukune soon awoke shirtless and covered in open puncture wounds and found himself once more staring up at all too familiar florescent lights. With a mighty heave he pushed himself up to observe once more the nurse's office. Tsukune could see all the machines and all of his friends as well. Moka sat next to his bed and Yukari sat near the other which was currently occupied by Kurumu, who was wrapped up in the sheets that covered her mattress, and finally Gin who was standing by the doorway with a grim expression. Almost immediately Tsukune shouted the moment they all turned their attention to him.

"How-"

Before another word was said he was shushed by them all. They turned to Kurumu's bed and silently they watched her intently for several moments seeing if she had awakened. The only sounds she made were a few mere mumblings and her tossing a little in her sleep. All let out a withheld sigh as Kurumu turned away from the group and fastened into a deeper sleep. Gradually the tension lessened and the inhabitants of the room returned back to their natural states. All of them stared at him with completely different expressions on their faces ranging from looks of relief to morbid disappointment. Moka tried to place him back down on the mattress but he stubbornly resisted and spoke out again with a whisper.

"How did we get here?"

Gin spoke before any of the girls could. His voice was heavy with a dark displeasure that weighed like a heavy burden that was almost material.

"They found ya on the side of the school near the incinerator. They became worried when the both of ya didn't return after an hour."

The idea of the both of them on the ground next to Keito for nearly an hour creeped him out nearly as much as the relic under his skin. Suddenly the idea of Keito made him look around as if to check for something only to find it not there. Once again he spoke out in a low, hushed voice asking only one question.

"Where's Keito?"

Though it was Yukari that answered him it was Gin's reaction that explained more to him than the little witch's words. His facial response was one of terror and shock as it became clear that he neither knew of her involvement nor did he want it to be true. In a quieted voice the prepubescent witch spoke.

"She's in the hospital building…whether it was because of you or the moo-cow over there is still unknown."

The news had hit him hard but it seemed to hit Gin even harder as his jaw nearly hit the sanitized floor. His eyes bulged from his skull as wheezing gasps from his exposed mouth flew out with ease. Just as Moka was about to speak Gin bum-rushed the lot of them with an evil hiss.

"Are ya'll fuckin' insane? Didn't I tell you all ta leave the Commissin' alone and now ya go and put one of 'em into the hospital? Idiots each an evry' one of ya!"

Before any of them could protest Gin opened the door and began to walk out only to turn around and whispered at them one final warning.

"All of ya are gonna suffer and I fer damn sure am gonna be as far away from all of ya as possible."

With this final warning he stepped out and closed the door on them. Tsukune could help but feel unsettled to find Gin, who always seemed to exude an air of overconfidence and cool, acting so suspicious and scared. The others however did not seem as concerned as he was, oblivious to the underlying fear in their sempai's voice or the feeling of dread mounting within their friend. It was a feeling that first formed just seconds before he passed into the sweet relief of unconsciousness and it had grown more so during the hours and had yet to shake it away. The more he thought about it the more he came to realize what this feeling was; it was the feeling of his imminent death. The harder he tried to ignore this grave feeling the more powerful it became. It was as if his very soul was trying to tell him that his body was going to be in mortal danger soon and there was nothing to be done. He was pulled out of this haze of fret when Yukari rose up from her seat and headed towards the door. Just as she was about to exit she turned around quickly giving off a cheeky aura about her as she began to speak to both him and Moka.

"I'm going to go after that big baby, don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

The double entendre was not lost on either of them as the little witch exited the room with a smirk that told the both of them of what kind of thoughts ran through her head. The air of awkwardness between the two did not last long between Tsukune and Moka as she crawled onto his mattress and began to tend to the wounds on his back. Grabbing a tube of healing ointment she squeezed a small portion onto her delicately smooth hands and began rubbing them on his wounds. At first the added pressure and antibacterial nature of the ointment stung his wounds nearly to the point where he had to choke back a yelp of pain but soon found its healing affects apparent and he could feel the pain from his wounds numbing. Despite having Moka tend to him Tsukune's mind was still occupied with hazy thoughts of the punctures on his back and the added relief he was currently experiencing was not because of the ointment being applied to his skin. He could feel the many wounds on his back fastening themselves shut at an accelerated pace for a human.

Soon another strange sensation made itself suddenly present. His body was starting to become without sensation, almost as if the feeling from his body was being drained. Finding hard to ignore he could not but help but feel nostalgic. He turned his head around and was met with a shocking sight. With a tremble in his voice he only managed to sputter out one word.

"M-Moka-san!"

Feasibly the queerest thing he had ever seen he was treated with a sight that he had only seen in one of his dirtier fantasies . There was Moka suckling on one of his many wounds like a child at their mother's bosom and was draining him of what little life fluid he had left. As he watched in stunned unease Moka was none the wiser when she was in her somewhat self-induced trance as she continued her blood-letting session. Despite the severe blood-loss he was still conscious enough to know that it had to stop soon or she could possibly kill him. With whatever little energy he had left he managed to shake his body enough to pull Moka out of her reverie and back into reality with a small blush. Sheepishly she rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassment and spoke in a similarly quieted voice.

"Gomen Tsukune but I couldn't help myself you just smell so good and it seemed like a shame to waste such good blood."

Even though she had performed an act of vampirism on his body without either his knowledge or permission he could not resist her charms and quickly found the strength to forgive her. She smiled sweetly at him as Tsukune just sat there with his own equally goofy grin. In this moment he felt content to the point that the dread in the pit of his stomach was merely a second thought. Sadly true to the nature of moments this one was fleeting and soon was replaced by another one filled with a disturbing twist. His body muscles began to spasm as they starved for the blood that they it had lost. His body soon compensated by making more red blood cells. Despite this new supply being created it was still not enough which is when the strangeness began to occur. Without his knowledge something inside himself was forcing his body's blood producing capabilities into a form of overdrive that was way beyond the human body's ability. With this happening an unanticipated side-effect presented itself to the both of them. Moka witnessed with wide eyes as Tsukune's remaining wounds healed at an even greater pace; closing themselves shut and leaving only traces of scarred skin. While Moka was amazed by this sight Tsukune was experiencing a completely different experience.

He was feeling something that was halfway between excruciating pain and pure bliss, he didn't know whether to scream out in agony or let out a near-orgasmic groan. Each second that passed felt like an age and whether he wanted it to end or not it, he did not know and just when he was about to make a decisive action the feeling ended abruptly. Tsukune gasped for air as his body was no longer in danger but his mind was definitely unsettled, the feeling of rapid regeneration was not something he wanted to experience anytime soon. Moka, who was completely unaware of Tsukune's feelings, was fascinated by this minor miracle and couldn't help but speak her mind.

"Tsukune is amazing; able to heal his own body to the point of limb renewal and only a human…I still can't believe how this is possible."

Though she spoke with such an adulating tone Tsukune found no comfort in her words, if anything he found them more harmful than helpful. His body undergoing such radical changes was not something that he wanted to be congratulated on, especially when he had to pay such a price for it. Even as she smiled kindly at him he could feel his hatred growing stronger along with his self-loathing as he knew that it wasn't her fault for not knowing the full situation. Coming to a single conclusion he looked straight into her eyes and spoke in a quiet solemn voice.

"I have to tell you something Moka-san and it's really important that you listen."

Moka's smile diminished once she heard the seriousness in his voice and decided to listen intently on his every word. Tsukune tried his best to brace himself and was thinking about what it was exactly he was going to say. After a full minute passed he was coming up blank and decided to wing it.

"Do you remember our first day of school?"

Nodding she still waited for him to continue with his explanation.

"And do you remember what happened to me later that day?"

Again she nodded but spoke this time with a bit more conviction to her voice as she remembered a horrible memory.

"You were pushed off a cliff."

"No after that when we were walking back after all of that happened, when you asked me what happened."

She neither nodded nor spoke this time but rather seemed to be in a state of deep thought. Placing a finger to her chin she tried her best to recall what was said on that day.

"Umm…You said something about falling into a cave and then finding something important…a ring or something."

Shaking his head he felt what he could only guess was the lethargic rage of the creature beneath his face. Quickly he corrected her in fear of what it would do if it were to awaken while trying to explain to Moka about its existence. In the calmest fashion he could manage he spoke in a soft and understanding tone of voice.

"It was a mask but the important thing is do you remember what you said afterward?"

This time she did not need any time to reminisce about that day. Without missing a beat she recited the words she spoke to him on that day.

"I'm glad that it saved you Tsukune."

It was these words that Tsukune was waiting for and immediately spoke what had came into his head. He broke his calm façade and was now speaking like a maniac. His eyes were wide with fear and breath was hasty and shallow.

"That's just the thing Moka-san it didn't save me!"

To say she was confused would be a huge understatement, brows furrowed and eyes filled with true confusion and mouth slightly agape she managed to ask several questions.

"What do you mean Tsukune? You came back didn't you?"

"Yes but I had to pay a price…I'm still paying its price."

Again he could see the confusion written all over her face and before she even conceived it he knew what she was going to ask next.

"What do you mean by still 'Paying its price'? Why are you making it sound like it's alive?"

Without warning he grabbed her by the shoulders in such a frenzied manner that Moka had nearly yelped out in pure shock but managed to stop herself just in time. She stared into his eyes with shock as he stared back into her with a manic terror that she had never seen before. Even as he held her he could feel a small source of madness growing as it fed off his mania and held the look of someone who suffered from insanity. Though Moka did put up some resistance it did not stop Tsukune from continuing with his rant.

"Because it's alive! It's not just a mask but a living thing. It's something cruel and unholy, something that never should've existed. It's a demon's demon, the devil itself!"

Moka was shaken by how badly disturbed Tsukune was acting. He raved like a lunatic about things she could not hope to comprehend.

"It speaks to me Moka-san, says terrible thing inside my head and fills my dreams with nightmares incomparable to anything I've seen or anyone could possibly imagine."

The more he spoke the more he came to realize the fact that Moka didn't believe a single word he was saying, only nodding as if to politely shut him up. The more he thought about it the more he came to regret his decision on telling her the truth about the situation. The more she tried to lay him down back onto the bed the more he could see that she probably thought he was suffering from some sort of episode of fatigue induced panic or some sort of post traumatic stress. With all of this happening he could feel his anger rising again even though she smiled sweetly at him. Why didn't she believe him? Why was she just humoring him like he was some cranky toddler in need of a nap? Was it so hard to believe that this mask which was keeping him from the brink of death and occasionally metamorphosing him into a literal brute? Was it truly that hard to believe? The more she tried to lay him down the more it became apparent that he was alone in more than one way.

Finally he allowed himself to be laid back down on the mattress. Moka petted his head like a mother does a frightened child. And despite this kind and affectionate gesture he gazed out the window just above where Kurumu laid. The sun was halfway through its daily cycle showing that it was already mid-afternoon and despite the warmth that washed over his body he could feel his spirit swathed in a cold numbness almost to the point that he could feel a type of detachment occur, a separation of body and spirit. Watching the sun he wondered what the repercussions of his previous actions would soon fall upon their heads.

* * *

(Underground location-Same time)

Within a deep dark dungeon-like room with the only light source was a group of lit candles that glowed dimly in the corners. The only signs of life were the three silhouettes of the top members of the Academy Public Safety Commission who were deep within conversation. Kuyou stared angrily at one of the candles with a neutral expression. He watched the tiny flame dance in the darkness as he listened to the booming voice of the larger committee member in the background.

"We've just got word that Keito-san screwed up…typical."

The growling grumble that erupted from the throat of the committee member was comparable to that of gravel in a working blender but still he laughed at the knowledge of one of his teammate's suffering. Kuyou's body trembled lightly with anger but still the lump of muscle continued to chuckle with delight. In the corner another figure stood-by shaking her head in a pitiful manner and spoke with an equally pitiful tone.

"Keito was the weakest of us all so it's no wonder she failed."

The three members stood in this dungeon, two of them talking while their leader stared on deeply within the tiny flame and for some time the three were left to their own devices until another figure, smaller but dressed in the uniform, rushed in holding a manila envelope. This nameless grunt stopped just before Kuyou and stood before him with a quiet anxiety. While he was not immediately recognized he still stood his ground like a good little solider while his superiors went amongst themselves, fostering their dominance over each other and massaging their own egos in the process.

"I don't understand why you sent her in the first place when the situation obviously called for MUSCLE!"

With this declaration the muscle bound braggart raised both of his arms and began to flex his arms and pecs with an unrelenting passion as if to prove some ridiculous reason. The tiny member cowered under this sight but still held his ground by clutching the envelope tighter in his fist. Watching this reaction he let out a thunderous roar of a laugh which actually caused the candles to shake in their place. Still laughing the other three were standing in their places just waiting for him to stop with his self-induced hysterics and to calm down. After several moments of silence the young member tried to speak out but was immediately cut off by the only female in the room and the elegant swishing of a large slim solid object. A feminine 'tsk' reached all of them followed by the sound of a cheery almost playful voice.

"Simple one-track mind as always Kinniku, style and grace should always be the higher road to take."

This ignited an argument between the two older members as they tried to prove who was more of an asset and who was the bigger burden. The more they showed off the more power they let out, so much so that the littlest member could hardly contain his cool but Kuyou didn't even flinch. More and more the two fought amongst themselves, jacking out powerful waves of energy in which the lower member did his best to keep from fainting but more than once his knees buckled out of fear but to his credit he did stay conscious. Soon the entire room quickly filled up with the power emanating from the two in a near liquid-like fashion that their combined strength began to suffocate the young member. Drowning in this sea of power he tried his best to fight for air but to no avail as his lungs were about to collapse when it was suddenly dispersed by the simple robotic tone of Kuyou's voice as he asked only one question.

"Will the two of you quit your senseless squabbling long enough so I can find out what is in our messenger's hand?"

Like a stopper pulled from an overflowing bathtub the power within room was drained away until it was no more, like it never existed in the first place. With the lacking pressure on his lungs the young member desperately drunk in the air greedily and passed of the envelope with great eagerness. Kuyou accepted the envelope with a bored expression then dismissed him. Running as fast as his legs could carry him he made it far enough so that it was safe to let out a breath of relief and felt that it was best not to look back. After the messenger left Kuyou silently opened the manila envelope while being watched by the others and pulled out two pieces of paper, one of an official manner and another of loose leaf quality with writing on its surface. After a cursory glance over the loose leaf paper he then turned his attention to the official document. Unlike the one before he was thoroughly engrossed with this document, examining each and every detail that lay on the paper's surface and scrutinizing over every fact and memorizing it with the only the tiniest of smirks present on his face. As the others watched their leader he turned up from the paper and stared both of them in the face and spoke in a tone that portrayed slight amusement.

"Once again you are both wrong…"

Holding up the paper he showed them what it was that he held in his hand and in a single moment they both realized what it was.

"It seems that bureaucracy is the correct avenue for today."

* * *

(Nurses' office)

Tsukune laid on the hospital bed with Moka still stroking his hair in a soothing manner and still he felt nothing but resentment and self-loathing. Kurumu was still tired and continued to rest. With each stroke came the gnawing sensation of his impending doom coming closer and closer almost as if in real time and despite all the warmth and affection he was receiving it could not quash this feeling of dread that resided in the pit of his stomach.

Once more the universe provided Tsukune the answer to a question that he felt would have been better left unanswered. The subtle sounds of footsteps reached his ears and at first his thoughts were of the return of Yukari and Gin but soon came to question that assumption. By the sound of the footsteps he counted at least three people were arriving and none of them seemed to be around Yukari's size. Instinctively he rose out of Moka's grip and sat up-right on the bed in order to greet these newcomers. Just as Tsukune had predicted the door opened to reveal a group of people and neither Yukari nor Gin were present. The group consisted of three people, the same three people that had threatened them earlier that mornin and each one held the same identical victorious smirk. Moka, still sitting on his bed, tried to greet them but stopped when Tsukune placed his hand on her shoulder. The one in the middle, the one he remembered as Kuyou, locked eyes with him in a frightfully dominant manner and then pointed directly at him. At once he spoke out in a loud and dominating tone of voice he addressed all of them.

"Aono Tsukune you and your accomplices are under arrest."

Before he or Moka could do or say anything, Kuyou gave a swift militaristic hand gesture and immediately the giant grabbed both of them by the scruffs of their necks than lifted them both into the air. The sounds of them struggling against their captor were enough to stir Kurumu out from her deep slumber and arise from her bed. She looked on the scene with confused eyes and quickly tried to think of something to do. Kuyou gave another quick gesture and before it was even finished the last female member lunged at Kurumu and delivered a jab to her stomach followed by quick chop to the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. Within moments her slumped form was caught by her attacker who only smiled as Kuyou spoke in his usual bored tone of voice.

"It seems you were a bit over-enthusiastic this time Deshiko-san but never the less effective."

"Arigato Kuyou-sama."

With ease Kurumu was lifted over the girl's shoulder and carried out of the room. Both of them struggled against their captor's grip but found it to be utterly futile as the brutish member chuckled moronically at their pitiful attempts of escape. Tsukune watched as Moka tried to escape but couldn't free herself from the iron-like grip he had on the both of them. Seeing her struggle angered him to the near point of lashing out but refrained when he could feel the creature in his head attempting to stir out of its slumber. Instead he turned all the anger he had into a single loud and threatening question.

"THE HELL ARE YOU DOI-"

Without him even finishing his question a hand flashed through the air and backhanded him across the face. What seemed to be a simple motion of movement for Kuyou, who was calm to the near point of robotic, it had nearly dislocated Tsukune's jaw. Though it lacked any kind of physical pain the power behind it was enough to keep him stunned long enough for Kuyou to loom in with a face contorted with absolute disgust and have every word soaked with revulsion as he spat them out.

"Never speak to me like that again you human scum!"

More powerful than any attack that could have been delivered on his body these words stunned not only his-self but his soul as well. Memories of his first day blasted through his head among her words of what would happen if a human was ever to be discovered. Terror for his life rose out from the emotional quagmire that was his stomach as he quickly turned to Moka who held the exact same expression of terror on her face. Seemingly satisfied with the impact his words made Kuyou snapped his fingers and like an obedient dog. Their captor followed him into the hallway and lumbered after his master, easily carrying his load by their scruffs. They swayed in his grip while he was following his leader, who walked at an even but excited pace, chuckled mindlessly at whatever cruel scenarios wandered into his thick skull. Instinctively Tsukune turned his gaze towards Moka who had turned hers to him. As much as he hated to see her terrified over his well-being it pained him even more that she wasn't more concerned with her own. He knew what was going to happen to him but not to her.

* * *

(Underground)

After an hour of being strung up and carried around like mongrel pups they eventually found themselves in what appeared to be an underground dungeon hidden beneath the school itself. They passed by several cages filled with screaming students reaching out for a freedom that was just beyond their grasps. Tsukune couldn't help but stare in shock as they tried desperately to free themselves by begging for any kind of reprieve. Both Moka and Tsukune could see the early signs of starvation and depravity beginning to make itself present. Tukune couldn't help but notice that the more they tried to grab Kuyou's attention with screams or begging the more it seemed fuel his disinterest in them. One of the prisoners managed to reached out and grab Kuyou by his blue coat.

"Please…let us out!"

Tsukune saw everything that had happened between them. Kuyou violently jerked his gaze to the offending appendage that touched him with repugnance and let out a hasty snarl. Suddenly smoke began to issue from the flesh of the hand and then it violently burst into flames. Moka jumped while being hung in mid-air and nearly cried out as the poor unfortunate soul screamed in terrible agony as his physical body was consumed by the flames and the others were stuck inside the cell with this poor soul. The people scrambled over each other trying to stay away from the raging fireball. Tsukune watched Kuyou watch with mild interest as the student's writhing motions began to dwindle down and eventually fell down onto the ground as a smoldering pile of carbon ash. All begging and screaming ceased as all eyes were set on the ashy pile that was once their fellow inmate with either terror. A small 'hmph' passed through Kuyou's lips and then brushed off some non-existent dirt off his coat and snapped his fingers. Kinniku was pulled out of whatever trance the flames had put on him and continued to follow after his leader.

Kuyou made it to the end of the hallway without any more complications and stopped at a heavy steel door which he opened with ease. Swinging within Kinniku's grasp Tsukune and Moka were drawn into an extremely dark room whose only contents were a wooden chair and a high powered lamp. Kuyou stood next to the wooden chair with a nasty smile present on his face. Lumbering towards the chair, Kinniku dropped Tsukune onto the wooden stool and bands of leather soon followed, restricting his movement. Kinniku walked away with Moka, still hanging in his hand, he cried out for her and she for him but was cut off when the steel door shut closed. The lamplight burst over him, filling his eyes with its high powered light whick nearly blinded him. Kuyou chuckled lightly as he watched Tsukune squirm under the bright lamp. The sound of jackboots clinking against stone encircling him found their way to his ears and eventually stopped in what he could only guess what was in front of him. Tsukune tried to free himself from the leather cords but found them too tight and stopped trying when a hand shot out from the darkness. This hand had not only stopped his struggling but jostled his brain into such a daze that even the thought of escape could not form. While in this stunned state Kuyou spoke but his words did not reach him, angered by what he thought was impudence he barked at Tsukune while grabbing him by the collar.

"How did you get past the barrier? Are there more of you?"

Still somewhat dazed Tsukune did his best to answer but found it hard due to a slight slippage of the tongue.

"…not…idea what…talking…"

With angry eyes Kuyou grabbed Tsukune by the bottom of his jaw and yanked him forward with such merciless force that it actually knocked back some sense into him. Tsukune found himself face to face with an angry Kuyou who hissed at him like an irate serpent.

"Don't toy with me human, I know what you are so confess! Are you a spy for your kind? When will they attack?"

Staring back into Kuyou, Tsukune could feel the haze that had enwrapped his mind lifting just enough to answer him in a coherent manner.

"I'm not a human and you have no proof to say otherwise."

At that point Tsukune found himself shocked to see that instead of a look of absolute rage Kuyou looked almost pleased that he spoke in such a disrespectful manner. In a deliberate manner Kuyou raised his fist upwards while staring right at him with a predatory look. Tsukune was almost sure that Kuyou was about to strike him so he prepared for the impact but was pleasantly surprised to see that instead of hitting him, Kuyou snapped his fingers and out popped three screens from thin air. Each screen that crackled to life showed the figure of a different person. From left to right they were; Moka, Yukari, and Kurumu. All of them seemed to be in separate rooms but each held the same look of confusion or fright as they all sat in similar chairs as him but minus the leather cording. Not understanding the point of showing him these images Kuyou pointed to each one of the spectral monitors and gave him a devilish grin.

"This is all the proof that I will need. The answers that I will get from these people will prove my suspicions."

Soon the sounds of three different voices rang out asking the same question.

"Are you currently aware that Aono Tsukune is accused of being human?"

Immediately they answered and each in their own way, ranging from righteous anger to nervous panic. Watching their reactions from left to right he found himself both deeply touched and filled with despair. From left to right the three girls answered the question starting with Moka, who couldn't help but fidget nervously in her seat.

"No I wasn't aware of that nor do I think that he is a human! In fact he couldn't be a human because humans aren't allowed in this school or even enter because of the barrier so by default Aono Tsukune could not be a human!"

After Moka's mini rant he turned his attention to the middle screen. Yukari who was sitting in her chair legs crossed over one another and arms folded along with cool look of detachment. With an almost lawyer-like fashion Yukari answered with an analytical response.

"Asking a question like that means that you feel threatened by him and are trying to shock me into saying something incriminating in an attempt to defend him."

The final screen showed Kurumu who had all but risen from her chair in a righteous fury over the accusation and raged out at her questioner.

"HOW DARE YOU! My Tsukune-kun is honorable and kind and an absolute gentleman and to accuse him of such a thing is absolutely despicable! Besides I happen to know for a fact that he is anything but a human."

With the exception of Moka's testimony Tsukune felt mixed emotions about their answers. While they defended him tooth and nail he was slightly upset that they found humans to be some sort of slimy mindless beasts that had only just crawled out from the primordial muck. As much as he wanted to deny it the thought couldn't help but cross his mind that if they had found the truth about him would they would treat him as such? Feeling Kuyou's eyes staring straight at him as if they were trying to gauge his reaction so he did his best to keep a stoic expression but could feel his already tell that this feeble mask was beginning to crumble away as the questioning continued.

"If he is not a human than do you have knowledge as to what kind of ayakashi, spirit, demon and/or monster Aono Tsukune is?"

Once more he watched from left to right as the people on the screens starting with Moka, who were fidgeting even worse than before, Yukari who still held that look of cool detachment and ending with Kurumu crossing her arms under her ample bosom in a somewhat know it all manner.

"I have no idea as to what kind of monster and or demon Aono Tsukune is because it is against school rules to reveal what kind of monster someone is! So no I do not know what kind of monster he is but I am certain that he is a monster…or an ayakashi/spirit/demon."

"Really? And I thought the last question was stupid and obvious. Hate to break it to you but only a brainless fool would fall for this."

"Of course I know that Tsukune-kun's a monster! I've seen his real form along with Yukari and Moka-chan."

Question after question it was the same routine, the screens spoke with the voices of the other committee members asking about his credibility and the responses were the same; Moka fidgeting in her seat and repeating her answer, Yukari sitting with one leg crossed-over and continued with her lawyer-istic answering and Kurumu unintentionally undermining them with what she believed to be the truth. The more they tried to defend him the deeper despair he fell into, causing the stoic mask he had on to crack under the pressure but still he remained strong until the line of seemingly endless questioning stopped.

With the exception of Kurumu each one of the girls stood by the idea that they knew nothing and even Kurumu's answers did more help than harm. Despite being involuntarily sequestered for questioning by a group of power hungry demons led by tyrannical pyromaniac Tsukune felt triumphant…or at least would have if it were not for a similar look on Kuyou's face. A quick snap of the fingers the screens were silenced but the picture continued to move almost like the screens were muted. Kuyou stood in front of the screens and with the robotic condescending tone that he was known for spoke aloud.

"Just as I suspected."

At that moment Tsukune had had enough of Kuyou's high and mighty sense of self and aura of superiority and decided to no longer play the hapless victim. Raising his voice to a mighty timbre he began to shout and scream with everything he was and more, shaking his chair back and forth in his fit of rage.

"WOULD YOU QUIT IT! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON ME OR MY FRIENDS! YOU'VE KIDNAPPED AN ENTIRE CLUB AND I'M GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THE ENTIRE ACADEMY WILL FIND OUT!"

Breathing heavily after his tirade he stared directly into the eyes of his accuser who showed no emotion whatsoever. After several seconds had passed and the beating in his ears dissipated and the realization of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt better until Kuyou gave out a harsh bark of a laugh and spoke in his usual robotic condescending tone.

"I have everything that I need on you. It was your friends that I had nothing on. They just proved my suspicions."

With an eyebrow raised and a slight stutter in his voice Tsukune asked only one question.

"W-What are you talking about? They told you that I wasn't a human…"

"True but by trying to prove your innocence it proves them of their guilt in conspiring to hide a human in this academy."

Kuyou reached into the innermost breast pocket in his coat uniform only to pull out a piece of folded paper. Carefully unfolding it he brought it up to the light to quickly examine it once more and than shoved it into Tsukune's face. With the sounds of the utmost sense of self-gratified smug dripping from each word that fell from his mouth he asked Tsukune a simple question.

"Do you know what this is, Aono Tsukune?"

After a cursory glance Tsukune came to the conclusion that the paper he was being show was an application transcript for the school, already filled out in what he could tell was his father's handwriting. Confusion evident on his face Kuyou pulled back the paper from his face and put it back into his innermost breast pocket. Speaking once more with the usual elitist tone he began to explain to Tsukune, who was shrinking in his own seat, what was on his mind.

"I assume you know what that piece of paper just now was a copy of your application to this school and I must say that it's quite an interesting read."

More and more Tsukune shrunk in his seat as Kuyou continued to talk on.

"Except for a few bits most of this document doesn't not seem right. I mean certain areas are quite erroneous and these aren't simple mistakes in fact they're details that even the lowest and simple-minded of ayakashi wouldn't make. So that got me wondering about you even further…"

Unbeknownst to Tsukune the cords that wrapped around him began to dissipate but he was too wrapped up in his own fear to realize this. Obviously pretending to not notice his fear Kuyou continued his little verbal torture session.

"I found no records of either sides of your family in the school's Alumni records or surprisingly in any of our records. So either you're the smart one in your family, which according to your grades would make them all inbred vegetables, or they had no previous knowledge of the true nature of this school."

Finally able to move he instinctually covered his face, trying to disappear from existence, but he could still feel Kuyou's gaze still upon him. Suddenly two hands made their way onto his shoulders and a loud sigh followed quickly.

"Tsk, tsk Aono-san now I know that you couldn't have thought that this would have last forever? Not to mention what will happen to your friends now that your secret will come out into the open."

Turning up from the palms of his hands he looked to the silent floating screens and stared intensely at each one of his friends with tears swelling slowly in his eyes. They all just sat in their seats, seemingly unaware of what was happening to them or what might possibly happen to themselves in the near future. A single but strong pat on his shoulder brought his attention back to Kuyou who slowly made his way in front of him and purposefully blocked the view to his friends. With a singularly triumphant smile present on his face Kuyou offered Tsukune his final ultimatum.

"Now Aono-san we both know what's going to happen to you; you will be executed publically then buried in a shallow grave, and given a tombstone. Your parents will receive a letter confirming your expulsion due to an excessive violent streak and they will think that you ran away due to the shame, that's unavoidable but as for your friends…they won't even get the tombstones just the shallow graves and be forgotten with the ages. This can all be avoided however if you were to admit what you are and I promise that I will STRONGLY consider letting them go and all will be none the wiser. What say you?"

More and more Tsukune thought about his words and quickly soaked them in. As good as they sounded something more powerful than his instincts or the eldritch relic under his skin told him that Kuyou would not even dream about keeping his promise. As far as he was concerned a long-shot was better than a no-shot. With the deep stuttering breath Tsukune spoke and Kuyou listened like it was the singing of angels.

"A-Alright you win just don't hurt my friends because they really don't know anything about this. I…I admit to being human but I'm no spy or anything like that…I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

A slow and dramatic clap filled the tiny room as Kuyou let out a small but victorious chuckle after hearing Tsukune confess to what he truly was. For the first time he saw Kuyou give a solid look of ecstatic glee as Tsukune hung his head in shame. He had admitted to being a human, something that was going to get him killed and as scared as he was it felt good to no longer fear the idea of his secret being discovered. He was going to die but at the very least he could save his friend's lives, something which they all had done for him. Turning his head up, he could see a mad glint in Kuyou's eyes as he put his hand out.

"You know something Aono-san I believe you and I thank you for your honesty. You have more honor than I thought was possible for a human."

"Promise that you won't tell my friends."

Once more he made his way back behind Tsukune and laid his hands on the back of the chair. Another pat on his shoulder followed by another slow sigh alerted him, almost like a sixth sense that something bad was going to happen. Sure enough Kuyou began to speak but already he knew that it was going to be about something truly disastrous.

"I want you to know that I will keep this secret from your friends but I think that won't be necessary for long. For you see…"

A quick snap of the fingers was all it took for his world to come crashing down around him. The three monitors that floated mid-air disappeared from sight and were replaced with the actual people they portrayed and their interrogators. Stunned silent the only thing that Tsukune could feel was the pressure from a patronizing slap across his cheek and Kuyou pointing at the girls themselves.

"This room is quite special as in that it can bend what little light is within itself to cover-up whatever objects reside within it. Unfortunately it doesn't stifle voices."

All three of his friends stared at him with mixed reactions and he stared right back. Their faces were each burned into his memory and would be forever. Moka couldn't even look him straight in the eyes, whether if it was shame for herself that she couldn't help him or of him because he had finally admitted what he was, Tsukune could not tell. Yukari had a look of silent terror as she stared at him with wide-eyes, flared nostrils and a tight-lipped grimace while she tried to back away from him in her own chair. The last person hurt him the most. Tsukune couldn't even look Kurumu in the eyes as hers filled with tears and shook her head side to side, truly not wanting to believe the words that came from his own mouth. He was suddenly reminded of the first time he told Moka. Lips quivering Tsukune could only scream out two words.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The callous laughter of Kuyou was the last thing he could remember as he was lifted from his chair and dragged from his seat. As he was dragged down the hall he didn't and couldn't look away from the girls and how they couldn't look back at him.

* * *

(Several hours later)

The news had spread around the school like a viral epidemic and before the hour was out over half the population of the school had heard about the discovery of a human spy amongst their midst. It wasn't until an hour after the rumor was released did the fact that the human in question was Aono Tsukune come forth. After this snippet of information was confirmed, the entirety of the Academy's population came out to see his execution. They came out of the school in droves and extended outward like ripples in a pond to find Tsukune hung up on a wooden crucifix and tied back with barbed wire. Around his wrists, ankles and waist the barbs dug deeply and ripped at him with a physical pain that matched his emotional. Though he did his best not to scream or move the pain was still too much for him to handle. On several occasions he had nearly blacked out only to be reawakened by the jeers and hisses of the crowd of mixed year students and faculty.

Through pained eyes he could see the several angry faces of his classmates, some of which whom had actually began to acknowledge and somewhat treat him like a normal student, several teachers and various other staff members but not of his homeroom teacher. From what he could see of the student populace neither Gin nor any of his friends could he find among the sea of disgusted and twisted faces. With what breath he could salvage he let out a ragged sigh, happy that even though he betrayed his closest and dearest friends they didn't join the crowd that would bring a violent and near-biblical end to his life.

'_**Mmmmrragg…mph.'**_

A jolt of electricity ran up his spine as the presence of the creature brought him out of the beautiful personal moment he was having. Instead of the usual feeling of annoyance or dismay that usually came to him whenever the thing made itself known he was currently feeling something that he never would have expected: hopeful. He felt hope as he was reminded of what the thing he carried just beneath the surface of face was capable of. More the mask beneath him began to rouse out from its slumber the harder he tried to grab its attention but for the first time he found that it wasn't even acknowledging him. He tried screaming but the thunderous roar of a crowd crying out for his spilt blood just a bit louder than his own meager voice. Finding that he couldn't get its attention by yelling over a mad mob he quickly frantically decided to try and reach it in a mental capacity.

'_HELP ME!'_

Despite screaming in his own head the sea of angry people in front of him was still louder and the only reactions he got from the thing that could possibly help him was a few tired mumbles and exhausted curses thrown at him. With a renewed vigor Tsukune struggled against the wires that restrained him while yelling at the top of his lungs in both the physical and cerebral sense. Chanting for his death the crowd reveled in what they believed to be his pain, completely unaware of his true intentions. His struggles were fruitless as the mask seemed to be determined to sleep through his desperate calls for help and he soon knew that he was in trouble when one of his hands went numb. Twisting his head Tsukune saw that his hand had gone limp and starting to turn a sickly bluish color. The wire was coiled up even further than before, flesh mangled and bloodied, he did his best to move this damaged appendage but found that he could not move it in the slightest bit. Realizing that a nerve or something of equal importance must have been severed by the razor wire he watched the crimson liquid dribble down his unfeeling wrist and drip down onto one of the many tombstones that littered the grounds. Panic had finally set in and his once understood struggling had turned to a frantic thrashing which only made things worse.

Screeching and shouting at the top of his lungs Tsukune nearly cried out for the mask and soon was rewarded for his suffering with the quiet grumblings of the relic's awakening. Yawns and the sound of what could only be described as someone trying to relieve themselves of morning phlegm was all that Tsukune could hear in his mind. After a few agonizingly painful moments the mask began to speak to him in a hazy and agitated voice.

'_**Da fuck you screaming about?'**_

Tsukune quickly scanned his own body, viewing the shredded remains of his uniform and the bloody mess that his body had become; ankles were nearly cut to the tendons and his once polished dress shoes were scuffed and dirtied with his own blood, the razor wire that wrapped around his waist had embedded itself deep within his gut almost to the point of disembowelment. Once he was done gawking at what was left of his abdomen he turned to his hands which both had gone numb from blood loss and nerve severing. The roar of the crowd was nearly deafening to his adrenaline laced ears along with the rhythmic vibrations of them pounding against the ground. Turning to the raucous throngs of bloodthirsty students Tsukune watched as they screamed his name and some even swinging around braches that they had took down few the many dead trees that grew among the grounds. With his own eyes he could see each individual enwrapped with a darkness around their silhouettes, not unlike what he once saw when he first met Gin, and at that moment he knew that if he didn't escape now than he was going to die. The moment this thought came into his head a loud groan came out from nowhere quickly followed by the mask's loud and obtrusive voice.

'_**How the fuck did I end up back in Nazareth?'**_

Again Tsukune tried to scream for help but his voice was already hoarse from all the previous yelling before but soon found that it no longer mattered. The crowd fell silent in an eerily quick fashion parted ways in a near autonomous way and down the path came the entire Academy Public Safety Commission. Tsukune could see what appeared to be a small army of blue coated students marching behind their three leaders like droves of ants readying to swarm over their injured prey. The non-committee students began to spread out, creating a large circular formation and the mass of committee members filled this empty void like water filling an empty basin. One by one the number heated glares of the lower members increased and the sense of the end coming closer. In front of this hateful army stood its general hold a look of supreme victory. With an over-dramatic sweeping of his hand, as if to present the entire schools hatred to him, Kuyou spoke with a kind of condescending pride.

"As you can see human we so called evil brainless demons can not nor will not be fooled by the likes of you. As you can see that when threatened we do not scatter like mindless insects much like your kind does while we ayakashi stand strong and together."

In a near predictable fashion the crowd behind him yelled in patriotic manner, cheering and crying for Kuyou and the Academy Public Safety Committee. Feeding off the crowd's adulations the entire committee's army stood proud and tall like the good little soldiers that they believe they were, readying to take the enemies life for the greater good. Kuyou raised his hand in the air and the crowd fell silent once more and awaited any further commands he might make. With a quick bark of orders several students rushed towards Tsukune, all holding branches from the surrounding trees, and began to stack them at the base of the crucifix. As more than excited student body was getting ready to destroy him, Tsukune tried his best to plead for help but in his weakened state his voice was barely over a whisper and occasionally petered out in between words.

"Ple…hel…"

The few students that heard the desperate plea for help had either ignored him or threw him the dirtiest of glares that they could give. Though he was being ignored by those who he used to call his peers they were not the one he was trying to contact. The mask had heard his prayers for help and responded with sadistic scorn and a truly arrogant speech.

'_**Well well what a tangled web we weave. Here we both are at your end listening to you beg me to save your life. Why is it during times like these you treat me like the god I rightfully am but any other time you treat me like dirt, now why is that?'**_

At this point the students had finished building the pyre that lay at the base of Tsukune's crucifix and they soon retreated to a safe distance. With the greatest of efforts he tried his best to keep conscious and vocal but in his extremely weakened condition he found that even the most simplest of tasks were nearly impossible. In a deep wheeze he once more called out to the malevolent relic even as the chanting for his death started up once again. The second time he tried to call for help it was too pitiful to even be considered any form of speech but the mask seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

'_**Save what little breath you left have boy. I know what you want and I'm going to tell you… GO. FUCK. YOURSELF!'**_

Kuyou snapped his fingers and at once two of his lesser subordinates appeared at his side each one holding a clay jar. Each one of them ran towards him and immediately began to slosh what smelt like oil around the wooden pyre. Purposefully with a malicious intent the two splattered as much oil as they could onto his lower wounds, agitating them even further. In a pitiful attempt to scream all he could make was a wheezing yelp of sorts which elicited cruel laughter from the two thugs and the mask itself. The oil attacked his wounds with a viciousness' that Tsukune had yet to experience and if not for the sheer will-power that he was exerting he would have blacked out completely. With what ever cognitive powers Tsukune had left he tried to ask why but the mask had beaten him to it.

'_**Oh don't worry Bubula, I know that burning to death is going to hurt like a mother fucker but don't worry, it'll feel like a tickle to me! An' when I fall off of what used to be your charred and crispy skull chances are that one of these dumb schmucks will make the same mistake that you did and put me on!...But you'll always be my favorite.'**_

At that moment Tsukune could feel whatever hope he had left crushing his soul, physically suffocating and choking under the pressure of the build up of pain induced bile, he was nearly blinded by the pain. Chanting over and over all Tsukune could hear were their hateful words, steadily his field of vision was darkening with it narrowing around Kuyou himself. He stood their basking in what he believed to be an assured victory and with a kind of cocky mirth he asked Tsukune a single question.

"Tell me Aono Tsukune do you have any regrets or last requests? I'd hate to leave someone unfulfilled."

The words to him were muffled but they still managed to reach his ears. He tried to lift his head with a modicum of pride but found that even that was a near impossibility. With a long and arduous amount of effort he just managed to look at Kuyou's chin and did his best to answer him with a sharp-tongued and devastating remark. Taking in the deepest breath his damaged body could take and spoke in a pathetic wheeze.

"Friends…no regrets."

Not able to keep his head up any longer Tsukune finally relinquished whatever muscle control he had left in his neck and his head fell down like a useless lump of meat and bone. Despite the agonizing pain that radiated throughout his being what he had said or rather partially said was true, he didn't have any regrets as long as Moka, Kurumu and Yukari were safe. The moment he felt at peace was also the same moment that Kuyou felt the greatest of pleasure. Tsukune could hear the sound of two quick claps, as if somebody was summoning something, and the sounds of following steps along with sounds of multiple objects being dragged along the ground. Trying to look up he could see that a small group of blue-coats dragging three bodies tightly wrapped in rope. Watching them wade through into the giant crowd of students towards one of the many large dead trees that grew along the grounds. One by one he watched as a few of Kuyou's mindless minions climbed the tallest, thickest tree they could find with ropes in their hands and tie them to the highest branches. Fright was the word that could best describe the thoughts that were speeding through his mind. He tried to deny himself of what was happening but knew that it was not possible as he already knew what was happening.

"Y…you…promised!"

Hanging from the branches of a tree, not more than fifty yards from where he was, like some kind of sickening piñatas were his friends. All of them seemed to be unconscious, swinging in the breeze in the most twisted of ways. Both Kurumu's and Moka's faces were obscured by their long flowing hair but Yukari's was not and he could see evident bruising around her eyes and cheeks and something told him that the others had similar injuries. Rage build-up in him faster and stronger than he had ever experienced before. With a sudden surge of strength that no one had expected he lifted his head to meet Kuyou with a gaze that would have crippled weaker men but was met with a mirthless chuckle.

"I said that I would STRONGLY consider letting them go and I did but the crime of hiding a fugitive can't be forgiven so easily."

With a snap of his fingers a tiny spark of a flame danced at the tip of his fingers. A glint of cruelty in his eyes shined brighter than the flame itself. With slow and dramatic steps he made his way towards Tsukune while everybody else backed away ready to watch him go up in flames. A frightful smile threatened to split Kuyou's face in two when he stopped only a few feet away from the crucifix and without saying a word he flung the flame towards Tsukune. In a bizarre moment the fire traveled in through air in slow motion, everyone watching it with caught breaths waiting for his to light up like a Christmas tree. Tsukune ignored the tiny spurt of fire and instead kept his eyes on Kuyou and showed no fear but rather an unending and inhuman hatred as he watched all of Kuyou's facial expressions. With only mere inches left till the flame would hit the oil soaked pyre Kuyou was on the brink of maniacal laughter when something miraculous spoiled his victory. The flame, millimeters from causing the sheer annihilation of Tsukune, puffed out of existence with nothing more than smoke to prove that it was even there. All who witnessed this phenomenon couldn't believe there eyes and Kuyou whose good mood made a complete one-eighty, held a rage that could not be matched by any one other than Tsukune himself. Once more snapping his fingers a flame reappeared and it was even bigger than the one before. Little by little with an angry look of confusion Kuyou came closer to the crucifix until the scent of oil and blood overtook his senses and could not take another step forward. With his fingertip aglow he reached back and flung the ember straight towards Tsukune. Traveling through the air the cinder made it about halfway when the same strange phenomenon reoccurred and the fire extinguished itself. Staring into space with the same angry look of befuddlement he unexpectedly twisted himself around and snarled only one word.

"Morioka!"

Almost every single one of the Academy Public Safety Commission members cringed back due to Kuyou's response and when they saw what had angered him so they drew back in fear. In the space that was previously occupied by the entire Safety Committee now had but a loan figure who was coolly twirling a wooden cane in-between his fingers. Gin had appeared out of nowhere and appeared more cool and self-confident than ever. Seeming not to care he continued to twiddle with his cane which enraged the head of Safety Commission. A surge of power emanated from Kuyou's body causing an insurmountable amount of heat to exude from his body in waves. For a moment Tsukune feared that the heat alone would have been sufficient to light the oil soaked pyre at his feet but the heat soon began to dissipate. The entire crowd, both student and staff, watched in awe as they could not believe the show of power that they had witnessed and immediately all turned their attentions to Gin to see how he would respond. He stopped twirling the cane and let out a sad sigh, almost as if he was bored, than turned to Kuyou while giving his trademark wolfish grin.

"Bin' awhile hasn't it, Kuyou-kun?"

In an almost soap-operatic fashion, all those who were either conscious or able to gasped at the familiarity Gin had shown to the leader of the most ruthless gang in the entire school and it was obvious that Kuyou did not enjoy being addressed as such. Baring his fangs at the intruder he flaunted his power once more to an even higher level than before by allowing sparks to fly from his person. Once again fear rose in Tsukune as the erupting Kuyou was dangerously close to the oily edifice and the sparks were just falling far enough as to just not ignite him. With everyone hanging on his every word he pointed an accusing finger along with a piercing stare that would have paralyzed lesser men.

"And here I thought you were hiding under some rock with your tail between your legs!"

Each word was so saturated with disgust and hatred that the words themselves were near-poisonous. Tensions flared as the two stared downed, each sizing each other up and waiting for the other to make the first move. No one dared to make a sound as these two competitors were readying to clash, the cold-blooded leader of the Academy Public Safety Commission and the enigmatically sauve president of the Newspaper club. Seconds passed and neither one of the combatants had moved from their spots and were showing no signs of initiating the first strike. All were watching with bated breaths as the pressure each leader was exuding was nearly choking until Kuyou made the first move. Flicking his finger up to the sky all jumped back in fear wandering what was going to happen next. Gin dropped his grin and replaced it with a somewhat quizzical expression. Not liking Gins' response, Kuyou ignited a third flame and toyed with it, all the while trying to bring forth some sort of emotional response but failed. In a bout of rage he lobbed the spit of flame over his shoulder and that was when he got the reaction he'd been waiting for.

With a whir of movement and a flash of limbs, Gin had disappeared from his spot with little more than a small kick-off of dust to show that he was actually there to begin with. Almost all were amazed by the once handicapped lycanthrope except for Kuyou himself. He twisted around to meet face to face with Gin who stood in front of Tsukune with his hand outstretched and slightly smoking. Hand twitching in pain, Gin opened the palm of his hand to reveal the smoldering remains of the embers and the release of burnt flesh. A sarcastic sneer made its way onto Kuyou's face and with his usual robotic condescending tone he spoke to Gin with a sickly sweet voice.

"Morioka Ginei the most selfish and perverse moron that ever graced the halls of this academy actually saved the life of another?"

Shaking the feeling back into his somewhat burnt hand, Gin replied to Kuyou's hateful question with a somewhat snarky grin which infuriated his opponent to near hysterics. With a simple jut of his thumb Gin pointed to himself than over his shoulder towards Tsukune.

"I'm not the same person you rem'mber from last year. I'm the president of the Youkai Academy Newspaper club an' with that title comes certin' priorities, like protectin' these bakas from creeps like you."

Once more waves of heat flew from Kuyou's body, almost as if his body was trying to burn away the defiance that stood in front of him, but the werewolf's resolve only seem to strengthen from this assault of demonic power. His knuckles whitened with fury and in his frenzied state, spittle rained from his trembling lips and with a hot voice he spewed out angry and hateful words.

"He is a HUMAN! Part of the filthy, rotten scum that infests what would surely ours and that which mindlessly devours all that comes into contact with! You would dare side with him rather than your own kind?"

Kuyou, along with the rest of the crowd behind him, waited for Gin's answer. A cool and collected look made its way onto Gin's face and with all too familiar confidence he spoke to not just the leader of the Public Safety Commission but the entire school body.

"Even if this kid was a human, if I have ta choose between him or you, this crazy son'uva bitch wins ev'ry time."

A furious roar issued from the throat of the infuriated leader which was enough to cause some of the lower members to flee along with a good portion of the crowd to the safety that only the academy building could provide. Sparks and flames momentarily sprung out from his body and Gin did his best to defend his body while protecting Tsukune's. In an out of character fashion Kuyou stomped his foot against the ground and did his best to control his voice which quivered from the stress of his anger.

"He is a human! His application transcripts hold extreme inconsistencies that no demon would ever make and that's all the damning evidence I need!"

A somewhat sarcastic smile made its way onto Gin and for the first time he turned his on Kuyou, which enraged him so bad that it looked like he was about to snap. Facing Tsukune with the cheerful confidence that he was well known for Gin asked one simple question.

"Yo Aono-kun, you a human?"

With what little strength and dignity he could muster, Tsukune managed to lift his head just enough to make eye contact with his sempai and talk just loud enough to be heard.

"W-Well…it's complica-"

"BAKA! You're not supposed ta answer that! Besides don'cha know that it's against school rules ta reveal what'cha truly are?"

At that point he turned to face Kuyou, pointing his own accusing finger at him and with his very own venomous look of hatred stared him down. Kuyou didn't flinch but rather steeled himself for whatever might come out next. Tsukune watched the two intensely but most of all Kuyou. Something told him that the end of this verbal assault was close at hand and he was going to be the one to draw first blood. By the way his entire body shook with fury and the way he could barely contain the heat that exuded from his body, Tsukune could tell that Gin was truly pushing him to his breaking point. Against every nerve in his body that was screaming at him to shut Gin up Tsukune's morbid curiosity got the better of him once more and kept silent wanting to see what his sempai was going to say to the flustered leader and what those consequences might be. Gin, completely unaware of the danger that Tsukune sensed, spoke with a surprisingly dark and commanding voice.

"An' so is the poss'ssion of another student's files Kuyou-kun. As a matter of fact I believe its grounds for imm'diate expulsion and even you are not above the laws of this school."

"IMPUDENT NOTHINGS!"

An explosion of physical heat and flames erupted from his body like a pillar which seemed to pierce the sky itself. Whatever he had held back it was now being released with all he had and more. Gin raised his arms to protect his face from being bombarded by any stray blazes but the rest of his body was left to suffer. Tsukune the metal that dug into his flesh began to heat up, burning his wounds. All those who were near Kuyou ran back for cover including his two generals who tried to escape the flames. Kuyou stood in the middle of the grounds still enwrapped in flames but his eyes burned with a hatred that was even hotter than any fire he could produce and spoke with actual smoke and fire issuing from his mouth as he spat each word with the same fiery malice that burned in his eyes.

"I AM THE LAW!"

The force of his demonic energies was enough to push back even the farthest of people and Gin was no exception. Doing his best he tried to stay his ground but was eventually pushed back far enough to leave Tsukune's damaged body completely exposed to the flames. Tongues of fire licked at his flesh and left their marks on his skin. Drawing out fresh screams and with an instinctive quickness he shut his eyes in order to protect them. Drawing back his power the flames slowly receded to the point where they were no longer visible but the hatred in his eyes still glowed like lit coals. Tsukune could no longer feel the heat from Kuyou's body but instead could once more smell the harsh stench of smoke which immediately terrorized him. He ripped opened his eyes and could see that the pyre below him was slightly smoking and quickly spreading. In a moment of panic he actually tried to blow out whatever was smoldering in the woodwork but the moment his breath touch it actually ignited the pyre. The flames quickly consumed the oil-soaked logs and reached his crucifix. With the flames biting at his heels and the sweat pouring down his face he turned his head up to the tree were his friends hung from. Despite them seemingly unconscious he could see Moka and Kurumu stir. Within the flurry of thoughts that raced through his head one single thought kept reoccurring to him.

'_I'm going to die!'_

* * *

(Author's notes)

The longest chapter I have written and this part one of a two part chapter! Please review.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	8. The Butcher Is King

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

_"Death is patiently making my mask as I sleep. Each morning I awake to discover in the corners of my eyes the small tears of his wax. "_

_Philip Dow_

…The Butcher Is King

Smoke rose into the setting dusk from the grounds of Youkai Academy. Every square foot of bare earth was covered by the mass of students and faculty. The veritable sea of people opened for only three people; Morioka Ginei, Kuyou, and finally Aono Tsukune. Tsukune was tied up by razor wire on a wooden crucifix being protected Gin. Kuyou stood in front of the two, radiating a powerful demonic power, as flames burst forth from Kuyou's body, which caused many of the masses to retreat to a safer distance. A majority of the weaker staff and students returned to school itself. The flames that surrounded Kuyou's body gradually spread from his core and attempted to devour all those who were unfortunate enough to be caught. Gin did his best to stand against the demonic blaze, but the power from Kuyou was enough to push him away.

The flame made its way to Tsukune and he was consumed by their angry fury. The embers tongues savagely licked at his bare flesh and his screams echoed louder than ever before. This torment did not last long; soon the flames died down and dwindled away into nothing. Breath torn from his body he tried his best to recuperate, but the choking scent of smoking wood filled his lungs. Looking down Tsukune could see smoke rising from the oil soaked pyre at the base of his crucifix and in a desperate attempt he tried blowing it out. Like proverbial fuel to an actual flame, the smoke suddenly sprung into a tiny spark which soon turned to a full on blaze. The oily logs burned quickly and soon the crucifix caught fire as well. Adrenaline pumping along with what little blood he had left in his veins he twisted his head upwards to stare at a large, gnarled tree with three students hanging from the tallest branches. Moka. Kurumu, and Yukari, wrapped up with rope, swung from the branches like sick wind chimes. Their own long hair obscured Kurumu and Moka's faces, but Yukari's was exposed. Bruises and cuts were prominent all over her face and chances were that the same would be on the others.

Tsukune could feel the flames below him biting at his heels. He thought of trying to plea for the help of the evil creature that hid in his subconscious, but it had made it clear that it did not want to help, but rather watch him die and move onto the next unfortunate soul. He searched the ground below and found Gin picking himself up from the dirt with cane still in hand. Taking in as much air as his tired lungs could hold he shouted at his sempai as loud as he could.

"GIN-SEMPAI!"

"Yeah I know!"

Finally on his feet Gin immediately started to run towards the girls, but stopped as soon as a low-pitched whistling reached his sensitive ears. Instinctually he jumped back only to have a sudden fireball miss him by a few feet. The explosion was powerful enough to knock Gin back off his feet along with the few still left to witness this fight. The crackling of the fiery wall that separated him from his younger club members uncharacteristically angered him. Gin expertly rolled onto his back and kicked himself back on his feet. Twisting around he faced Kuyou who played with a fireball in the palm of his hand. Immediately his two faithful generals; Kinniku and Deshiko were at his side, ready to fight. Gin readied both himself and his cane in order to protect himself and his close underlings. Without giving a signal, the two charged after him with their fists and weapons raised. Deshiko quickly distanced herself from her slow, muscle-bound partner with a happy expression on her face and a large wooden bo-staff ready to strike. Gin met her with his own wooden weapon and the two struck each other. Making solid hits they were pushed back and were stunned temporarily but the first to recover was the female PSC member. Gripping her weapon with both hands, she swung with everything she had. Gin, still stunned by the hit, could do nothing as the staff came ever so closer to his head. A mad smile was on her face when her staff connected with his skull, but it did not last for long.

Though the staff hit his head it didn't stop. The weapon actually traveled through his being like he was some sort of specter and the added momentum threw off her center of gravity. Spinning around she quickly bent over backwards and managed to stop Gin's aerial strike just in time. Somehow, Gin had jumped over the skull-cracking attack and tried to bring his cane down. The moment Gin's feet touched down Deshiko tried to pull her weapon away, but the hook at the end of the cane prevented her. With an extraordinary feat of athleticism, Gin jumped over the girl with his cane still in his grip. Landing safely behind the orange-haired girl only to see the slower, but bigger member was nearly upon the both of them. With amazing strength, Gin actually managed to flip Deshiko over his shoulder and bodily threw her at her own teammate. In a surprising turn of events instead trying to catch his teammate Kinniku instead swatted her out of his way. Shocked by the unfeeling brutality that the two showed for each other Gin charged at him with cane at the ready.

The two quickly closed in on each other however, Kinniku threw the first punch. The large meaty fist whistled through the air faster than one would expect from the larger member. Gin's agile moves allowed him to dodge under the speeding fist with some flourish and delivered a quick , but powerful strike to his beefy side. A loud crack was heard and when the two stopped Kinniku was seen stooped over holding his ribs. Gin on the other hand was perfectly fine, but the head of his cane had splintered. Then both of them rose from their crouched positions and turned to face one another. Gin braced himself for another charged assault when suddenly he was attacked from behind. A bo-staff was lodged under his chin and across his windpipe preventing him from rushing at Kinniku, who briskly jogged at them, fists at his sides. Gin struggled against Deshiko's strangle hold, but she held on tighter and tighter. Kinniku rushed at the both of them with his fist pulled all the way back, but Gin was ready. As soon as he threw his first punch, Gin gripped onto the staff that was choking him and pulled himself up. Using the force exerted by the giant's punch he kicked off of his fist with as much power as he could, sending both him and his captors flying. They both skid across the ground, stopping after a mere fifteen feet, and using the momentum of the fall he rolled himself onto his feet managed to free his own head and quickly recovered his damaged cane.

Deshiko began to display her own acrobatic capabilities when she pushed her self onto her hands and swung her legs up into the air. She managed to capture Gin with a scissor-lock around his neck , but it did not matter. Using what upper-body strength he had Gin grabbed her by the waist and managed to toss her over his head. Flipping several times through the air Deshiko landed once more on her hands. She tried to kick him in the back of his head, but Gin had quickly ducked under her kick and sweep-kicked her hands. Deshiko fell to the ground with a heavy thud and Gin hastily returned to his feet. He could see Kinniku was already up from the ground and was once more charging after him. Gin held his cane tightly in one hand and gently placed his other hand at its head. Watching the slow giant lumber after him, he applied a small amount of pressure to the damaged head until a low crack could be heard only by him. Again the giant pulled back his fist and Gin retaliated by throwing his cane at him. The object traveled at its target at an incredible speed however, the giant's fist was faster. He hit the projectile with a mighty punch and the sound of cracking wood soon followed. He was about to laugh proudly when something hard and sharp jammed itself just underneath his eye. Falling down on his ass, he slapped his own hand on his open wound. Looking down on the ground, he could see a half of a head of the cane that was thrown at him.

"YO! Behind ya' big'un!"

Turning around Kinniku saw that Gin had somehow gotten behind him and was now twirling what could only be described as a makeshift wooden spear. The two fallen PCS members tried their best to get up , but they just fell back down to the ground. Even though it was two on one, it was obviously clear that Gin was stronger than the both of them combined. The few that people that were still outside of the academy were absolutely amazed by the skill that Gin displayed and the calm fury he held about him. He patiently watched as the two finally managed to get up and stupidly as they tried to ready themselves for another round. He stopped twirling the broken cane and assumed a fighting stance. Gin was steady and calm while the other two were on the verge of collapsing, but still they seemed more than ready to fight. The moment the two were stable they angrily made their final charge and Gin more than happily did the same. All three of them closed in quickly on each other at soon they clashed. It lasted for less than two seconds and nothing, but a flash of limbs was all that could be seen, but it was impressive none the less. They quickly dispersed and once more both the PSC members fell down to the ground. Their bodies were covered with shallow cuts and gashes and Gin's tipped cane was covered in blood. He could see them struggling to get back up so he speedily ran towards the girls again.

Gin made it about halfway when another wall of fire prevented him. An angry growl escaped him as he came face to face with Kuyou himself. The leader of the Public Safety Commission smiled with a malevolence that could only be matched by his excitement. His underlings did the best they could to crawl away from the scene in order to lick their wounds. Gin clenched his exposed fangs and tightened his grip on the broken shaft of his cane. Glancing up at his hanging club members and momentarily to Tsukune, whose rubber-soled shoes had begun to melt from the fire, and then back to Kuyou who allowed his fingers to become aglow with an intense heat. Anyone who was close enough to see Gin's face could see that he was thinking extremely hard, most likely about his current situation, and it was clear that he was getting frustrated. In less then thirty seconds, after he could smell the horrid combination of melting rubber and burning flesh, Gin came to the ultimate realization that the only way he could get out of this with everyone intact, then Kuyou would have to be defeated. The grin on Kuyou's face widened as he too came to the same realization and his excitement grew tenfold. He pulled his hand up in front of his face, which was shaped like a spear, and took a fighting stance. Instantly Gin took his stance, but unlike before he was neither calm nor steady, but rather tense and anxious as the two were getting ready to square off. Kuyou's muscles tensed tightly and with could only be described as wicked glee he softly spoke so that none but Gin could hear.

"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time Morioka-san. You and your meddlesome Newspaper club have been nothing, but a thorn in our side for too long, fitting that it should end with us. "

Gin gave one of his many trademark haughty chuckles, but its affect was somewhat diminished as he never let his guard down. The two started slowly circle each other while never removing their eyes from one another. Tightening himself up, Gin spoke with his usual raised-on-the-streets accent just loud enough so those who were close enough to them could hear.

"Damn you're so overly dramatic as usual! 'You and your meddlesome Newspaper club' an' 'It will end with us'! We all know that ta' reason behin' this is that you're afraid that we'll expose ya' for what ta' Public Safety Commission truly is. "

"The Public Safety Commission is a group dedicated to maintaining the peace and justice of our academy. "

"You're nothin' more than wannabe Yakuzas, a tyrannical group who extorts money from other club's through fear!"

Kuyou lunged after Gin and slashed at his head. Gin ducked under the attack and jumped back as far as he could. All but a few hairs had made it out of the attack, but the attack was more than enough to leave the top of his head slightly smoking. Before he could react, Kuyou went on a rampage, slashing and chopping at him with his glowing red hands, and Gin did his best to evade every attack. The onslaught continued with a fierce relentlessness that could described as raging. With each attack he delivered, he released an angry grunt and for each attack that Gin managed to barely dodge he let out an exhausted groan. Wounds made their ways onto Gin as the heat radiating from his hands not only cut him, but painfully cauterized them too. A rain of hand-spears fell on him and there seemed to be no end in sight. In a final attempt to end his opponent's life, Kuyou could be seen pulling back his right hand as far as he could then thrusting it straight through Gin. The leader of the Newspaper club had the expression of true shock when the hand of the Public Safety Commission was stuck inside Gin's abdomen. Kuyou roughly pulled his hand out from his enemy who vanished the moment this happened. Though Gin had vanished his school jacket remained until it burst into flames.

The real Gin was no more than ten feet away, but he had clearly not gotten away unscathed. His cotton white shirt that usually lay beneath his school jacket now had a large hole burned into it and beneath that was his self. His flesh was red, raw, and slightly burned. He gingerly poked at his wound and hissed in pain. The tendered flesh and his aggravated poking only brought him more pain, which allowed Kuyou to smile with some delight. Staring his opponent in the eye, Gin raised his makeshift spear and readied himself again. Shifting his weight, he pushed off, running to the side with Kuyou running right beside him. They locked eyes with each other so that both combatants' could see one another's emotions frustration and exhilaration. Seeing that Kuyou was keeping up with such ease he quickly changed directions, but again Kuyou anticipated and kept up. Clearly annoyed Gin let out a snarl of anger as he could not shake his pursuer and in a final act of desperation, he stopped short then pounced after the PSC leader. In a surprise attack, Gin thrust and lung his makeshift spear at Kuyou, who dodged every attack with ease.

With each miss, Gin tried harder and harder to hit him, but he never came close. Finally when he seemed tired of this repetitive act Kuyou actually managed to slice the weapon in twain with a single chop. Quickly disposing of his damaged weapon and started throwing punches instead. In actuality, Gin's fists were faster than his sloppy spear thrusts. While still able to evade a full on hit, knuckles grazed his face and body at an unrelenting pace. Punch after punch came his way, in an amazing one-eighty it was Gin on top, and Kuyou was the one on the defensive. Kuyou was trying to strike back, but Gin did not let up for even a moment. His concentration hardened to a singular point and no matter how hard Kuyou tried, he could not break it. All of a sudden, Kuyou was unexpectedly thrown back. No one knew what exactly had happened, but when they saw him holding his lip and Gin still having his fist raised out they could only guess.

Gin's fists were clearly burned and were already starting to blister while Kuyou's face was covered with little knuckle shaped bruises. It soon became evident that Kuyou's lip was busted open when a thin stream of blood oozed from between his fingers. Removing his hand from his wounded lip, which bled profusely, he stared down at his drenched hand then back to Gin. Hate burned deeply within his eyes, ash and smoke spewed from his open mouth as his breath became ragged and deep. In an instant, he ran straight for Gin with his hand cocked back and Gin did the same except with a fist. Blow by blow the two clashed with one another. The two older students attacked one another unremittingly, near to the point that neither bothered to defend the others attacks, only caring about delivering a final blow. Kuyou thrust and chopped at his opponent with an unadulterated hate, each attack trying to pierce Gin's heart or trying to decapitate him. Gin fought back with his fists, trying to break bones and doing his best to try to reach his female club members.

Kuyou's heat infused hand spears glanced over Gin's body, cutting and searing his body at the same time, but each time he missed what he was truly aiming for. Gin tried to deflect his attacker with his own fists, but not all were successful. With sudden speed, Kuyou disrupted the flow of the fight when he suddenly jumped back out of his enemy's reach. Gin fumbled when he missed Kuyou, leaving his defenses wide open, and Kuyou took full advantage. He threw a savagely powerful knee attack in which Gin reacted by jumping back himself, barely dodging the attack. Before he knew what to do next the knee attack that he had just barely been able to avoid turned into a kick that caught him right in the head. The force behind the kick coupled with his off-center of gravity, he all but flipped out of control. Gin's body flew out of control, but before Kuyou could perform any form of celebration Gin managed to throw a kick of his own, which connected with Kuyou's chin, just when he was still in reach. Kuyou was pushed back while Gin flew through the air and eventually fell to the ground with a bodily smack. The two were motionless, whether from their wounds or contemplating their next strategic counters, no one knew, but there they were.

Kuyou breathed deeply while the bruises began to develop all over his face and body. Gin on the other hand was still on the floor with his skin burned and blistering. After a few minutes, he started to stir and with what seemed to be the last of his strength Gin managed to push himself off the dirt floor. Shakily getting back on his feet Gin stared down at his enemy, but the intimidation was lost when his form started to wobble and stumble in place. Kuyou gave him the smug little chuckle that he was known for when Gin nearly fell down again. Catching himself in time Gin took his eyes off his opponent to look up into the tree that laid less than a hundred feet ahead of him. The girls swung sickeningly from the branches even as they began to awaken from their respective unconscious slumbers. Turning his gaze back to Kuyou, Gin did his best to steady himself. Once more, he brought his guard up, raising his fists up to his face and tightened his leg muscles for the anticipation of speed he was known for. Kuyou sneered angrily at Gin's continued defiance. Slowly he took off his blue coat and tossed it casually to the side while at the same time rolling up his sleeves. Hocking out a glob of bloody mucus he wiped away what little was left on his cut lip and with a hiss, he spoke to Gin with what could only be described as pure malice.

"You have seriously damaged me not just once, but twice. Gin it would seem that I will have to take this seriously now. "

Sparks and embers once more erupted from his body, but it was not the same as before. The fires were a burning phosphorescent white and instead of spewing outward, towards the cowering masses, they only traveled for a few feet until they were sucked back into his body. His being started to burn with the same phosphoresce glow, but that was not the end of his transformation. Pillars of fire pulled themselves out from his back only to twist and lash around like live serpents. His nose and mouth started to grow to insanely grotesque lengths. He snarled wildly and gnashed his forming fangs. Crouching over himself Kuyou's fingers lengthened to obscene proportions along with his ears, which came to a point. Falling down on all fours, his back arched and body morphed to a semi-canine form. Fire tightly enwrapped his new body and layered itself on top of him like armor until he burst with an explosion of power. Thrown back by the massive power surge Gin could only watch as Kuyou's new form tightened and shaped itself into a monstrous fox. Kuyou pawed at the ground with his newly formed paw and like a real fox, he advanced on Gin as if he were his wounded prey. His fur burned with such whiteness that it was nearly blinding to stare at him directly. The heat from that pulsed from his body was white-hot burning what little plant matter that grew near him and charred the ground that he walked on. Gin tried to crawl away on his blistered hands, but he didn't get far. Kuyou was almost upon him and with his new voice, he let out a guttural growl, which bordered on an actual bark. Gin did what he could do to get away until he backed into a tombstone that was only a mere twenty feet away from the tree that his fellow club members hung.

* * *

From the tallest branches of the tree that Gin was under hung the three rousing forms of Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari. They swung lightly in the breeze, high enough in the air that they were above the stench of burning flesh and rubber. The first to come back to the realm of consciousness was Moka who was greeted by the sight of the setting sun. Lifting her head in a sluggish manner, she tried to move a lock of her pink hair out from her face only to find her hands bound. Not able to comprehend what was going on just yet she looked hazily on the school grounds only to be shocked by what she saw. The grounds had a few clusters of students and staff that were brave enough to see the end, a enormous fiery fox advancing on an injured Gin, her other club members hanging by her side, and finally Tsukune.

To her horror, Moka could see Tsukune tied to a crucifix with razor wire wrapped around his waist, wrists, and ankles, all of them bleeding profusely. The base was consumed by flames, as were his feet, and they slowly creeping their way up. She attempted to scream, but found that her voice was lost and instead kicked her fellow members awake. Firstly it was Kurumu who awoke and by default Yukari, who was starting to awake when Kurumu's body swung into her due to the force of Moka's kick. The tiny witch's body swung out then back into Kurumu causing her to swing to Moka. She wrapped her legs around the oncoming girl's waist and did her best to stop the swinging. Kurumu moaned groggily as her head lulled side to side, revealing several large bruises and a swelling left eye. Blearily she too gazed out onto the school grounds only to be met with the same horrors that Moka saw. Moka un-wrapped her legs from Kurumu when she could see the succubus's undamaged eye land on the sight of a burning Tsukune. Her eye stopped still and the light of the fire danced clearly within her lavender eyes. The flames burned deeply within her eyes, as they seemed to hypnotize her with terror. Kurumu started to hyperventilate as the fires climbed higher and higher, engulfing the human that she had confessed her undying love to months before. Both of the girls' hearts beat faster as they watched Tsukune's form twitched and silently screamed in pain. Watching the boy they cared so deeply for suffer in such a horrible manner, something inside the both of them snapped. Finally, out of the daze she had found her voice and staring at Tsukune, she could do only one thing; she screamed.

Moka screamed, she screamed as loud as her voice would allow her and for as long as she could. She screamed Tsukune's name and screamed for Gin to help and for the help of anyone willing to help however, no one did. Moka persisted to scream at the top of her lungs for what seemed to be hours, but in reality was just a few seconds. Kurumu was still transfixed on the blaze, but she could hear Moka's voice ringing in her ears and without even knowing it she too started to scream. It started off slow and quite, but it soon became loud and ear splitting. Kurumu shrieked and kicked as hard as she could until she actually started to bounce. The ropes that bound her tightened around her small frame, making her wheeze, but still she screamed as hard as she could. The combined power of their voices seemed to have some sort of affect because they could see Tsukune turning his head towards them both and apparently said something, but they were either to far away or his voice was to weak to reach them. It was then that the two screamed and shrieked even harder than before, trying to get the attention of anyone who cared and was able to help. Soon an ear splitting roar eclipsed their combined voices immediately followed behind it was an explosion. The tree shook violently, jostling the three of them, and both Moka and Kurumu looked below them to see what had happened. The tombstone that Gin was pinned against was somehow reduced to a pile of flaming rubble and Gin himself was thrown nearly thirty yards away, no longer moving. Kuyou stood on all fours in his transformed state barking and yipping jubilantly as he walked after the unconscious boy.

At the base of the tree, a fire of their own started to burn that traveled quickly up to them. The tree began to quake and groan under the fire's fury which fed off the dead dry wood. The girls could feel hot air blowing up their skirts which they responded by struggling against their restraints. Moka tried to pull her restraints apart with her bare hands, but was continually interrupted by every gust of hot air that puffed up her skirt, which with her modesty; caused her to instinctively cross her legs. Kurumu wasn't as reserved when trying to free herself from her bindings. She tried to extend her razor-like fingernails, but only succeeded in stabbing herself in the arms. The fire continued to eat away at the tree, which soon produced a mighty crack. As the sound of the crack echoed throughout the school grounds Yukari had finally awakened. With absolute shock Yukari was not only treated to the sights that the other girls had seen; Gin unconscious on the dirt floor, Kuyou growling at said student, and Tsukune burning at his makeshift with half of him engulfed, but to the sight of a blazing inferno just several feet below. Twisting her head, she could see both of her friends struggling fruitlessly against their rope bindings. Staring at her friends her analytical brain assessed the facts and came to only one solution; she screamed.

* * *

The flames grew higher and higher, already burning through the oil that the logs were soaked in, they searched for more fuel. Tsukune had already lost the feeling in his feet as the toxic fumes of burning rubber and shoe leather accosted his nostrils and now felt the scorching heat and burning power traveling up his legs. He wanted to scream until his lungs were filled with the poisonous smoke and his lungs were too weak to expel it. He struggled lightly against his barbed restraints even though his life and strength drained from his body and as expected it did not help. He watched with weak eyes as Gin fought against the two PSC members on his own. With acrobatic awe Gin easily kept the two at bay and Tsukune could not help, but to think about what he was sacrificing for all of them. Knowing that he had to somehow help him he tried to contact the creature in his head in a last ditch effort.

Praying silently he waited to hear from the eldritch thing and after several anguished seconds was rewarded. The feeling of the mask awakening in his psyche was somewhat mixed; the usual sense of anxiety was present, but the newer sense of hope was there as well. The entity, feeling and enjoying his pain, happily chimed in with a whimsical singsong voice in what could be described as a cheesy Irish brogue.

_**'Top of the morin' to ya, me bucko! How can I be of assistance?'**_

The flames flared up and Tsukune shortly lost his concentration as they steadily traveled up his legs. The pain was excruciating, but he was still conscious enough to watch Gin defeat the two PSC members with his rudimentary weapon. Gulping in what smokeless air his lungs would allow and his body finally coughed up what was lodged in it. His thoughts were muddled for a little, but he got them together long enough to come up with a coherent thought.

_'I need help! I gotta save them!'_

_**'I would love to help with that, but…I just can't. Sorry. '**_

The fire chewed at his flesh with an unrelenting passion. He tried crying out for help when he was suddenly choked out by the smoke issuing from his clothes and actual body. Tears were gently squeezed from his weakened eyes while he squinted to where Gin stood, squaring off against a figure that he assumed to be Kuyou. The feeling in his lower legs was disappearing as the pain of being burned alive was traveling upward. Consciousness flickering in and out Tsukune did his best to keep his thoughts together while he begged to the sadistic entity. With desperate pleading and prayers, he did his best to make contact again with the evil spirit, especially when Gin and Kuyou started their fight, and again after several seconds it responded. Despite all the suffering he was going through, he did not take his eyes off of Gin who was doing his best to keep up with Kuyou. Tsukune could see Gin trying to hit Kuyou with his weapon to no avail, which fueled his desire to help. Immediately he screamed to the relic with his entire mental prowess.

_'PLEASE! I'VE GOTTA HELP MY FRIENDS!'_

_**'AND I GOTTA TELL YOU TO FUCK OFF!'**_

Again, the fires grew and he physically screamed in agony, as his knees were set ablaze. He saw that his skin was no longer a healthy flesh tone or even an inflamed red, but rather blackened and shriveled. Doing the best he could to forget about the pain Tsukune tried to communicate with the creature, but it was it that spoke to him first. The creature's voice was no longer whimsical or cheery in any way, but now held a dark and threatening manner. It was angry and when it spoke, he was so transfixed by its sinister tones that he completely forgot about the pain of being burned alive or the fight between his club president and the leader of the PSC. The thing spoke to him in such a manner that he could think of nothing else, but of what it was going to say.

_**'I already told you that I've had enough of you and your fuckin' insignificant piddley-ass problems and your boring wish to have a normal life.'**_

The mask's corrosive word burrowed deeply into his subconscious until it was all he could think about. He was so engrossed by the thing and it's dangerous influence that he did not even notice that Gin had turn the tides on Kuyou. The mask continued with its verbal onslaught with a low dark hiss and all Tsukune did was listen to everything it said.

_**'You'd be nothing more than a half-rotted corpse in some fuckin' cave if it weren't for me! I healed your wounds and gave you back your life and yet you treat me like dirt. I'm sorry, but I can't be in such an abusive relationship where I'm the bitch!'**_

For a moment, Tsukune managed to get away from the poisonous artifact and turned his attention not to Gin, but to the hanging girls. He could see Moka starting to awake from her unconscious state. His heart jumped in his throat, but his attention was grabbed by the mask as it continued its oral diatribe.

_**'I offer omniscience and omnipotence and you spit it back into my face you ungrateful little shit! I said it before and I'll say it again; I wash my hands of you.'**_

At this point, the fire had burned its way almost up to his crotch and Gin and Kuyou were attempting to finish each other off. He could see that Gin was covered in scarring cuts and Kuyou was covered in bruises and had a busted lip. A sense of pride swelled up in him, but the moment was unfortunately short lived. He witnessed Kuyou shifting and changing while white-hot sparks flew from his body then covered every square inch of his body. Tsukune was nearly blinded by the brightness of Kuyou's glow and was stunned to mental silence as he watched four flaming tails sprouted from his back. In shock, he stared at the blazing demon as he morphed and shifted into a giant fox. The sudden radical transformation was enough to make Tsukune's eyes pop out in terror while the creature in his head snort in dark delight.

_**'Ooohh your boy is fuuuuccked! I know what that is and damn sure, you know what that is too. He doesn't stand a chance.'**_

Staring at the now transmogrified Kuyou he could see the predator that was the leader of the PSC prowling towards the injured club president of the Newspaper club. Gin had managed to crawl as far away as he could until he backed into a lonesome tombstone. Above the Gin's tombstone was the tree that Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari hung from. He could see that Moka had already regained full consciousness and was trying to wake her other friends. Continuously alternating from Gin and Kuyou to Moka and the others, his overworked heart pumped faster than ever before. Chemicals and hormones pumped through the remainder of his functioning veins, increasing the sensitivity of his skin and pain, thoughts rushed in his head and his breath had somehow became more shallow than before. The screams of Moka and Kurumu provoked him even further as they seemingly screamed for either him or for anybody willing to help them. He wanted to struggle against his razor wire restraints, but his body had finally given up on him. The sounds of the creature laughing at his pain filled his head in such a cruel way that it fueled his anger, but fueled his feeling of uselessness even greater. The screams and shouts of the girls rung louder in his ears than the crackling of the fire or the roars of Kuyou as he closed in on Gin with a predatory grin. With a surge of strength, he lifted his head and actually met with the gaze of Moka.

Though the two were nearly a hundred yards away somehow the two met the others gaze and read every emotion that flashed through their eyes. Moka's eyes filled with fear and anguish. Tsukune could see the very essence of fear in those jade eyes and for a moment, he found the strength to speak.

"I…got to…save…them. "

_**'What would you do?'**_

He was caught off guard for the moment as the mask's question hung in the air. He was shocked to say the least, but another one of Kuyou's roars knocked him back to reality. More and more the conscious girls screamed for help of any kind while the voice of the mask overpowered all others as it asked it's question again.

_**'What would you do to save these girls?'**_

Tsukune could see that Kuyou was almost upon his sempai and the monstrous fox had a predatory grin on his now dog-like face. His anger rose when he stared at the fox demon with disgust, believing that if it wasn't for him and the rest of the PSC with their grudge against the Newspaper club than there would've been no need for this witch hunt and he he'd never of been caught. At that moment the mask spoke out in its' signature cold sadistic voice.

_**'He took your life…'**_

Those four words were enough to completely send his brain into shock. Tsukune was no longer on a burning crucifix with his friends about to be killed by a murderous fire demon, but rather he was back in the lost sea cave, listening to the beast's offering of power. As the creature continued, he was pulled deeper into his delusions of the past.

_**'He shattered your dreams…'**_

The crackling of the fire was comparable to the water washing into the cave while the roars and screams were almost like the waves crashing on the rocky shore. His hallucination had become so powerful that even his other senses were starting to kick in; the scent of salt water and low tide was pungent, feeling the freezing seawater on his skin, the taste of salty sand and seaweed present in his mouth. The final thing was what his sight. The relic lay in the same tide pool that he had first found it, where it first made contact with him. He listened to its poisonous words the first time and he listened to it now.

_**'And the rest I'm sure you remember.'**_

Like an actor he followed his lines from that day in perfect repetition with the only difference was that the creature did not interrupt him.

_'What do you want?'_

_**'I have listened to your pathetic prayers and realized that I may have been somewhat…harsh in my refusals. I am willing to help you and your beaus, but for a price; I want more.'**_

The pain from the flames was substituted for the pain he felt when he was dying on the rocky floor of the cave. Staring at the relic with confusion, he did not understand what it was that it meant by more. He focused himself and asked what it meant and with a pretentious laugh it answered.

_**'It's simple; you've been putting me on a tight leash and I'm fuckin' tired of it! This entire time I've been a spectator, but no more, I want you to give me more oh what's the word…leeway and I promise that you will live pass this day.'**_

The thing's words held an icy grip around Tsukune's beating heart. He could hear it's words echo in his head and the hidden meaning behind those words. The idea of giving the creature more 'leeway' disgusted and scared him because as much as he wanted to deny it any 'leeway' he needed it's help in order to save himself or any body else. The more he thought about this impossibility the more his brain burned as if it were set on fire like his body. Staring at the mask he could feel the spirit that resided within it smile evilly as it watched him struggle over the ultimatum it had presented to him. As he struggled over the problem, he suddenly heard what could only be described as a powerful and heavy explosion. He was thrown out of his delusion and thrust back into the real world. The fire was almost halfway done with his body and the pain was unimaginable. Chunks of masonry flew through the air along with Gin. Kuyou barked triumphantly and the tree that the others hung from had caught fire. He weakly watched, as he uselessly burned at the stake, as Moka and Kurumu struggled against their bonds and Yukari finally awakening from her unconscious sleep. He could see the flames climbing higher on the tree, creeping closer to them. Mind a blank; he didn't know what to do. Gin was clearly out of commission after he fell to earth and hadn't made any kind of movement what so ever, Moka and Kurumu still had not broken free of their bonds and Yukari was taking in everything with shock and awe.

With everything happening so fast he didn't know what to do, his mind was frozen on one question; either let everyone burn or give the creature a modicum of freedom. Time seemed to slow down to a near halt; every movement was visible and apparent to every spark that jumped from the flaming pit below him, the dead branches of the trees moving with the wind, Kuyou ever slowly creeping up on his unconscious prey, and every failed attempt the girls made to free themselves. He could see every tiny emotion the flashed in their eyes and micro-expression on their faces. Tsukune saw everything within milliseconds and could not believe that this was actually happening to him, to them. It was just a bad dream, a nightmare, he was going to wake up soon enough, and when he did, everything would be back to normal. They would find themselves back in the clubroom and everything would be back to normal, everything would be back to normal, everything would…be…

**_'She doesn't have to die.'_**

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The power of Yukari's scream had penetrated his mental orb of silence and everything sped back to normal. Kuyou was almost upon Gin as the flames were closer to the girls. They all struggled against their bindings now and only succeeded in twisting the ropes themselves. Tsukune knew at that point that he had to make a choice and it soon became clear as to what he had to do. Trying to ignore the pain from the fire, he again collected his thoughts to tell the creature his decision.

_'Alright you can have more!'_

The dark presence of the sentient relic boomed triumphantly in his skull. Already Tsukune could feel the flood of alien energies flowing in his veins and his frayed nerves becoming dull to the pain of the fires below. The feeling was starting to return to his damaged extremities while the dark laughter of the beast became louder and louder.

_**'I knew you see it my way sooner or later bo-'**_

_'But you cannot hurt my friends!'_

The powerful feeling he was experiencing was immediately withdrawn, if anything the pain from the fire worsened. The triumphant aura that filled his head was replaced by an endless rage. The anger that the thing was exuding was so powerful that it felt that his head was about to split open. His brain cooked in like a fried egg, burning hotter than the fire that bit at his body. As the relic's anger burned him, its voice froze him. It spoke in an icy hiss as it spat words of contempt and hatred.

_**'You dumb mother fucker are you trying to renege on our deal? To con ME! Nobody does that to me, EVER!'**_

The combination of internal freezing and external burning was almost too much for him to bear, only through sheer willpower did he managed to stay conscious. The fires licked at his remaining flesh while the fires that were nearing the girls were even closer. They screamed and tried to clamber away from the blaze, but only succeeded in swinging wildly in the wind. Tsukune did his best to stay cognizant and made contact with the mask.

_'No con! I just don't want Moka-san and the others hurt that's all! Promise me that and I'll give you more freedom.'_

_**'You try to screw with me well fuck you! I ask for more leeway and instead you put up more barriers, that ain't freedom you dumb bastard!'**_

The fire was nearly up to his stomach and already knew that he was on the verge of death. In an act of desperation he thought of the first argument he could think of, hoping that it would convince the evil spirit to return its power to him.

_'You got to help or else you'll have nobody to inhabit!'_

_**'We've already covered that there are plenty of stupid people out here that I can so easily manipulate sweetheart, next argument.'**_

_'What people? They've all, but gone back into the Academy building.'_

As Tsukune said almost all of the students and staff had rushed back into the building for safety while those who were brave enough were all in little clusters too far away to be any of any use to the artifact. An angry groan rung his head and soon followed the tired and irritated voice.

_**'Touché douche bag, but that doesn't change the fact. Unless you give me the freedom I so rightfully deserve than you all die.'**_

_'Damn it I'm not denying you I just want you to promise me that you will leave them alone!'_

_**'And I'm telling you that either you give me more range or they all burn!'**_

_'I RATHER THEY BURN THAN BE EXPOSED TO YOU!'_

The tension between the two was palpable and crushing. It was so thick and heavy that it could be cut with a knife. Tsukune could feel the creature's rage building and boiling over. The pressure behind its anger would have crack his head wide open if it wasn't for the fact that he was exposed to small amounts of it every time he opposed it. As powerful, as the tension between the two was the silence was even greater. They were waiting each other out, hoping that the other would break soon. Tsukune knew that the creature would gladly let him and the others burn, but there was something the creature didn't know; he meant every word he said. Tsukune would rather have his friends burn to death, but the psycho leader of the PSC than even let there even be a chance of the beast having it's way with them. He knew that burning to death to be more merciful. Soon the creature came to realize what he was up to and immediately backed off the pressure. It spoke again, but this time with such a sickly sweet voice that it could give anybody a cavity just from hearing it.

_**'Alright buddy I won't hurt any of your friends so how about my new freedoms?'**_

The fires burned him and his consciousness flickered in and out, but he still had not given his blessings. Still trying to keep conscious, he did his best to keep the conversation alive.

_'Promise me. '_

The feeling of the creature squirming beneath his skin made him nauseous. Again, he could hear the artifact's sickly sweet voice whispering in his ears.

_**'I said that I wouldn't hurt them.'**_

_'Promise me. '_

_**'I heard you. Friends. Off. Fucking. Limits!'**_

_'Promise me.'_

_**'FOR FUCK'S SAKE YOU STUBBORN WHINY LITTLE BITCH I SAID I'D LEAVE THEM ALONE!'**_

_'Promise me.'_

Tsukune couldn't hold on much longer, the fires not only ate at his body, but mind also. He found it more difficult to maintain or even form words. Just when he was about to fade the thing spoke again in angry and rushed tones.

_**'Even if I did what's to say that I won't just kill them?'**_

_'Not…your…style.'_

_**'HAHAHAHAHA! Not my style! Kid, hate to break it to you , but that's practically what my style's all about. After all torment, pain and death is kinda my bag.'**_

The smog rising from his burning body was choking and the screams from the girls in the background filled his head. His eye-line started to fade and fuzz along the sides and the darkness slowly crept in.

_'No…if you kill them…they'll never…betray me…I'll…never…learn…tru…th.'_

It became deathly silent after he made one last attempt to save himself and the others. The fire was halfway done chewing through his body and all outside sound was nullified. All of his muscles started to relax and become cold. As his body went limp, the creature spoke to him with an impressed, but still condescending tone.

_**'Y'know for such a dumb fucker you can be quite clever.'**_

Those were some of the last words he heard when his body slowly started to shut down. He could no longer form a single coherent thought as the smoke from the fire and the smell of his own burning flesh was choking off his brain. His ears picked up no sounds whatsoever, no crackling of the flames below, no roars from the monstrous Kuyou, no screams from the girls who hung from the burning tree. His eyes were growing dark and soon all light had been extinguished from his sight. His breath slowly escaped his body, fueling the blaze that consumed him, and he felt only the tiniest bit of life he had left in his body begin to snuff out. His consciousness was no longer flickering in and out, but rather just out. Just when total perception was about to leave him he heard two final words coming from the creature.

_**'I promise.'**_

Suddenly the flames that ate his lower half leapt up with a life of their own and consumed his entirety. The flames had gone from a brilliant orange to an evil onyx black. Somehow, consciousness was shoved back into Tsukune and the first thing his body did was shriek in pain. His scream carried far across the academy grounds causing all those to hear him to cover their ears in pain. His screams were powerful and inhuman and on several occasions, his voice cracked and split under the strain. Moka and the others stopped with their own struggle when the pain they felt from Tsukune's screams filled the grounds paralyzed them. Kuyou stopped lurking towards the knocked-out Gin as his own overly sensitive ears heard his other victim's piecing scream ricocheted around his fox ears. Turning his head away from his previous prey watched in confused amazement as his own flame had changed so radically and sporadically shot out flames of emerald green or violet in spurts. Tsukune was no longer visible from within the bonfire, but his screams were enough to give even the most grounded of people reeling with crippling and gruesome images of what was happening in the middle of this black fireball. Soon the screams were replaced with the sounds of cracking wood and the crucifix that held Tsukune crumbled to the ground.

The strange shadowy blazes were extinguished and all that was left of its existence was a foul smoke that reeked of sulfur and burnt flesh. Shockingly the crucifix was only partially burnt and somehow broken apart. Kuyou didn't understand what exactly had happened, but he didn't care, as far as he was concerned it was one last insect he had to worry about. Looking away from the rubble he turned to his latter prey only to find that Gin had disappeared. With a snarl he turned to his subordinates who were back up on their feet. Up in the tree the girls hung in silence after watching what they considered the death of Tsukune. All of them tried to mourn for his death, but the tree gave way to the fire again and the branch snapped at the base. Shrieking as they fell they were falling into the arms of the waiting fire until they were saved when their branch was caught by several low hanging branches. Watching them swing wildly in the wind while the inferno below them tried to devour them brought a wicked smile to his canine face. Ecstatic that he would see his remaining enemies burn alive Kuyou was about to bark in victory when the soft sounds of shuffling wood reached his ears. He spun around to face the wreckage that was the crucifix with his jaw agape. He could see the wooden planks being pushed aside and something arose from the ashes that sent a cold chill down his flaming spine.

A blackened corpse stood amongst the ruins of the crucifix, skin charred and shriveled, and the only thing that seemed to have survived was a portion of pants. Its arms were curled up to the remains of the corpses' chest and had its eyes shut tight. A hissing wheeze escaped through the scorched lips of this strange creature and every time it took a breath inward, an audible whistle could be heard. As spellbound as Kuyou was the girls that hung were even worse. They could not take their eyes off of the repellent creature that rose from the ashes of their friend. All three of them watched frightened as this walking briquette stared off into the sky and swayed aimlessly in one spot. All were so wary of this creature that they momentarily forgot about the fire, but it did not forget about them. The flames seemed to jump at the opportunity of their absent-mindedness about and rose to meet them. Moka felt the blistering tongues from the inferno below glancing off her bare legs and she pulled them back right away. Her yelp of pain made the others aware of the fire's ascension towards them and again they started to scream. The girl's screams enticed the burnt body to make its way towards the sound, kicking away and tripping over the broken pieces of the crucifix. The reanimated corpse twitched and jerked with every movement it made almost as if it was being played like a marionette. Kuyou sneered in disgust while watching this spindly creature trying to get to the girls. The thing shuffled weakly over the wooden beams, but eventually it fell to the ground with a pathetic thump. It tried to lift itself off the ground, but made it only onto its knees. Head staring up to the sky it hissed wildly as the girls cried out one name.

"TSUKUNEEEE!"

The girls yelled out for Tsukune and the creature that rose from his grave had a visceral response. The arm twitches became worse, like it was struggling, and let out a god awful howl, but when it open it's charred eyes was when things became truly horrifying. The moment it opened its eyes yellow sparks shot from the empty sockets, igniting the already burned facial flesh with a strange sulfurous yellow flame. It clawed at its face with curled fingers and actually managed to rip out strips of flesh. The things blacked skin started to crack and flake of in droves. Between the cracks of dead skin was what appeared to be pulsating pink muscle, which grew past the skin itself. The scrawny creature soon doubled in size with half of the flesh torn from its body. Chords of muscle were ripped by its blackened hands only to have them reform and grow bigger than before. The creature's voice had turned from a high-pitched howl to the lower tone of adolescent male. When Moka and the others heard the thing's change in voice, they immediately knew that Tsukune had somehow survived, but so did Kuyou. Growling angrily at what was now a giant ball of naked muscle Kuyou turned to his subsidiaries and barked out several orders. They quickly responded by rushing towards the mass of naked muscle and stood between it and their leader. Tsukune was now an engorged ball of exposed muscle with all of his burnt flesh now lay on the dirt. Growing at a geometric rate the only thing that covered the sounds of his screams were the snaps of breaking bones. Thrusting his naked arms to the sky, everyone could see them bend and snap in strange angles to the point that bare bone poked themselves out from his muscles only to submerge back into his body. Finally rising to his feet, everyone saw his head blazing and body stretching in a sickening manner. The fire that engulfed his head suddenly grew twice its original size and Tsukune quickly clapped down on his own head with his incredibly engorged hands. Body stretching towards the sky he was constantly growing and expanding until he reached apparent pinnacle of width and height.

Once his body stopped growing his muscles seemed to explode in size, tightening and stretching themselves until it seemed they could not possibly get any bigger. His abominable muscles sharpened and defined themselves, pectorals exploding outwards, leg and arm muscles stacked on top of each other and quickly became hard as rock. Smoke issued from between his fingers while little shots of yellow flames and muffled screams were seen and heard. He started to smack his own head, trying to pat out the flames, but to no avail. Instead, he clawed at his face and pulled out fistfuls of facial muscle, which he threw them to the ground. The pieces of muscle that fell to the ground momentarily writhed with life only to putrefy into a bloody sludge which crawled back to him. Blood spurted and dripped from his body, muddying the ground, causing Tsukune to fall back on his knees again. Hunched over he finally stopped the assault on his body when his body stopped growing, but that was not the end. As he kneeled motionless small patches of what appeared to be flesh started to grow in seemingly random places. Slowly they spread across his body growing bigger and covering his exposed muscles. Like ripples in a pond, this newly forming flesh spread out across his massive form. From his back to his extremities, the patches of skin appeared and spread to cover him in a new casing of flesh. After Tsukune was finished with this macabre transformation, he rose to his feet in an eerily dramatic fashion. His head hung low and smoking, no longer on fire, with his hair growing back at a rapid pace. Finally regenerated he plunged his head into the sky to expose the bone-white mask that latched itself on his face and at once roared with power.

"YEEAARRRGGUUHH!"

_**'BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL MUTHA FUCKA!'**_

He flexed his powerful fingers and examined his newly formed body to find no flaw or evidence of damage by fire. Jerking upwards his heart raced when he noticed the girls hanging over a raging bonfire and the PSC members and leader standing in his way. Taking a giant step towards those who dared to oppose him his foot knocked up against some large and heavy. Turning his attention momentarily to the ground, he spied a large heavy-looking wooden club. The thing was half charred, had nails sticking out at odd ends and was wrapped in barbed razor wire, caked in his own blood.

_**'Get a load of this thing!'**_

Staring at the club then back to the PSC members that stood between him and the others he picked the club up and held it in his hand. The club's thickness and weight felt good in his hands and swung it about lightly.

_**'2x4…Handy. '**_

Kinniku and Deshiko walked towards him, each with their very own glint of madness in their eyes, and he gripped his weapon tighter. Deshiko spun her bo-staff around her body while Kinniku cracked his neck and shoulders. Tsukune flexed his muscles, tightened his grip on his own weapon, and readied himself. His heart thumped wildly in his chest while adrenaline coursed through his body along with the all too familiar surge of alien strength. Battle ready and rearing to go the mask laugh sadistically as Tsukune faced his opponents with club in hand.

_**'Let's do some fuckin' carpentry!'**_

With these words, Tsukune charged after the two and they did the same. While Deshiko and Kinniku were powered by the fear of failing their coldblooded leader, Tsukune was running on the rage of a man whose loved ones were in peril and the energy given by an ancient sentient relic. Deshiko was the first to reach her enemy so she pulled back her weapon in order to strike first, but Tsukune was faster. He swung his weapon like a bat with the full force that his arms could afford, but she was just able to defend against however, that did not discourage him. He hacked away at Deshiko's weapon with an unrelenting passion that it pushed her back. Unable to do a thing she tried to flee, but when she attempted to escape Tsukune swung with everything he had and swatted her away like a baseball. Ignoring the flying girl Tsukune dashed at the clunky malformed member with his club raised up high. Kinniku raised his arms defensively in order to protect himself from the club attack, but left himself open for Tsukune's gut-busting straight. Blood spewed from his mouth as Tsukune's fist dug deeper into his body and when he started to fall Tsukune delivered a final flying knee to the nose. After making quick work of the two Tsukune could feel the white-hot hateful gaze of Kuyou and heard him growl deeply. With a deep graveled voice, Kuyou addressed Tsukune who stood over Kinniku with club in hand.

"I don't know how you survived or what you are, but since you give off no discernable demonic energy of any kind you are clearly not worth my time, you pathetically weak creature."

Tsukune rushed at the flaming fox with his weapon held high. Kuyou stood his ground while the behemoth charged. The fox had a devilish grin and started to twirl his many tails around his body. Flames enwrapped themselves around his tails and without warning and he whipped them at Tsukune. The tails were nowhere near long enough to reach him, but the flames that had been wrapped around them jumped from his body and flew towards Tsukune. He stopped short as fireballs that were nearly his own size came at him with incredible speeds. Out of the pure instinct of self-preservation, he leapt to the side, barely dodging the flame. Before he had time to take a breather the sudden heat from several other fiery projectiles were felt on his back and were coming at him with incredible speed. Quickly he jumped back in time to evade an oncoming fireball only to sidestep another even faster. An additional fireball followed right behind the one he just dodged he rolled just in time to avoid the full brunt of the fires. Back slightly smoking Tsukune got back on his feet to see Kuyou twirling his tails in the air. Expecting another round of fireballs, Tsukune braced himself and took the opportunity to get him before Kuyou was ready. Giving a wicked smile when he saw Tsukune rushing haphazardly towards him Kuyou burned brighter than ever before, but the tips of his tails burned the brightest and started to trace fiery designs in the air. The designs converged to form into an actual ring of fire. Before Tsukune could react in time Kuyou launched this burning ring and the moment it hit him the flames enclosed around his massive frame. He thrashed about with pain and tried to grip these flaming chains with his only free hand, but the ring latched itself even tighter. He beat and smacked his chest in an attempt to either remove them or pat them out when the entity screeched.

_**'OI JAG-OFF, MOVE YOUR ASS!'**_

Taking his attention off the flaming restraints, he saw that Kuyou was already creating another ring. Ignoring the pain from the first Tsukune was ready to meet the second ring. Kuyou flung his attack at Tsukune who was already charging. Tsukune rushed forward and tried to dodge the attack , but it started to curve mid-air. Shocked by this sight he did not know what to do, but his body reacted by flinging itself right for it. Time seemed to slow down again as he came closer to the circle inferno which continued to curve. Reaching outward, as if he was trying to grasp some invisible object, he managed to slip his giant arm through the ring's clearing. More and more of Tsukune slipped through the ring and even as it burned his flesh but he was never ensnared by it. Managing to escape the attack in the most daring of acrobatic feats for someone his size he cleared the ring with finesse then broke his fall with his free hand and rolled to his feet. The moment he made it to his feet, he ran straight to the monster and said monster galloped after him. The two clashed and the scene was bloody. Kuyou snapped down across his arm and chest doing his best to rip him apart and Tsukune continuously bashed him over the head with his club. The monster's fangs dug deeper into his flesh and tore at the boy's giant body. Tsukune tried to shove his weapon into his mouth to use as a lever, but only succeeded in angering Kuyou. Abandoning the useless idea of opening Kuyou's mouth, he swung himself over and straddled the neck of the fox. Tsukune tightened his legs around the neck of the beast, whose fur burned his bare skin, raising the club up over his head.

The metal wire gleamed in the waning light of the sun in a dangerous manner. Kuyou chewed at his entrapped arm like a dog's chew toy, trying to rip off his arm. Tsukune bit back a yell of pain as his teeth dug deeper into his arm. He stretched his arm as far back as bodily possible and struck Kuyou over the eye. A terrible squishing noise was heard the moment the club struck his eye Kuyou automatically released the bite he had on Tsukune's arm and Tsukune released the grip he had on his weapon and Kuyou's neck. His arm shone brightly with the blood that oozed from his freshly acquired battle wound, but before he even considered tending to it, Tsukune jumped off the fox demon and ran until he was in front of the wild blaze that was the tree that the girls hung from. They yelled for him and all he could do was take a slight step back when the fires grew outwards. With Moka and the others struggling to survive in front of him and the sounds of Kuyou smashing against the ground in frustration coming from behind, he didn't know what to do. Over stimulated by everything going on around him and all the noises and screaming that surrounded him Tsukune just stood there dumbstruck. The sounds of suckling and breaking came to his attention. Turning around he could see Kuyou squirming on the ground with both paws clawing at the stuck club, slowly pulling it out, screeching as blood sprayed from this open wound. Panic started to set in and before he knew what he was doing, Tsukune took a sprinter's position and stared into flames. Muscles tensed, tendons tightened, fingers and toes dug themselves deep within the earth as he was getting ready to do the unthinkable.

_**'Whoa hold on you crazy bastard! I just got you this new body so don't go and do something stupid.'**_

It was then Tsukune did something stupid: he charged into the heart of the inferno. Pushing off the ground, he entered the fires without a moment's hesitation and was shocked at what he discovered. Though the fires engulfed his body again, but this time it was different, there were no normal sensations of pain, but rather the feeling that there should be pain. He felt the heat from the flames and them biting at his now abnormally thick skin, but no pain. The base of the tree soon came into sight Tsukune thrust his shoulder in front and rammed his body full-force straight at it. All heard the thunderous crack of his gigantic body against the tree and soon the tree was uprooted. Creaking and splintering, the tree eventually fell, exposing its bare roots to the world. It smashed to the ground with a mighty crash that shook the earth and launched the girls into the air. The fire greedily went for the newly exposed roots and blazed even higher than before. Completely surrounded Tsukune spun trying to find a way out, but found that the only way was the flaming tree itself. He grabbed the enflamed roots with his bare hands and climbed up its base until he made it to the trunk. Running along the flaming trunk he could see the girls had landed safely several feet away. Nearing the end, he jumped off the tree and into the waiting arms of the fire on the other side. They flared higher as if trying to snatch him away from Moka and the other and dragged his body into their hungry mouths, but their chance was stolen from them as Tsukune made it through with nothing more than a few shiny burns.

The burns themselves were not that bad as they had already started to heal and little did he care about the injuries he had sustained from this reckless act of stupid bravery. He rushed towards the girls, gently leaned over them and inspected them intensely. Each one had bruises on their faces, several swellings and seemed slightly disorientated, but other than that, they seemed rather unharmed. With his giant fingers, he brushed away Moka's hair in order to reveal her beautiful face, which caused his already racing heart to skip a beat. They soon started to come around when Tsukune felt a white-hot heat prickling at his back. Unaware of what was happening he turned to be met with an awesome sight. The fires that were feasting on the fallen tree had parted ways to reveal their master Kuyou standing on all fours with his jaws wide open. Crackling blue flames were forming in his mouth and growing at a fearful rate. His body dimmed considerably as the fire in his mouth grew and all of his tails all stood straight out, almost as if they no longer possessed minds of their own. The eye wound he received from Tsukune bled profusely and what was left of the club was a melted pile of metal and ash. Twisting all the way around to face this danger Tsukune spread out his arms out, bearing his chest out with every intention of taking the attack. He was too far away to attack or stop the attack and even if he tried, the risk of the girls being hit was a risk he was not willing to take. The force emanating from the blast that resided in the fox's mouth blew the fires that ate the tree away. The blast itself was terrible even before it was fully formed; blue flames dripped like liquid fire and melted the grounds and stone tombstones like they were made of sugar, the rancid stench of burning enamel was in the air as Kuyou's teeth started to liquefy under the heat. Tsukune could feel the heat from Kuyou attack his entire body except for his face, which was protected by the mask itself.

_**'Cock sucker MOVE! You get hit by that there's no going back! GAME OVER!'**_

Tsukune did not move, but rather stood his ground even harder. The blast was just about ready and Tsukune could see Kuyou doing his best to aim. Finally the attack was fully formed and ready to fire while Tsukune braced for what was about to come. The fireball exceeded his mouth, stood at the edge of his snout, and was nearly half his size, it blazed like a miniature blue sun and all that was near him and it burst into flames. Both combatants tensed as the moments ticked downed and the end was coming nearer. Kuyou shifted his entire center of gravity upwards and stood up on his back two legs. A roar rung from Kuyou's throat showing that he was done waiting to unleash this powerful attack when a sudden quick flash of movement distracted the two. From out of nowhere, a furry fist landed itself deeply into Kuyou's wounded eye. The beast yelped in pain and launched the blue fireball straight to the skies. Tsukune watched in amazement as the blue blaze flew to the clouds and detonated, transforming the once golden twilight skies into a hot ocean blue. Quickly deciding that he had had enough of the pretty light show, he looked down to watch Kuyou fall to the ground with a massive thud. Standing over him was a hairy black figure with a tail and a wolf's head pendant hanging from his neck.

Gin had appeared just in time to rescue his club members yet again. Even though Tsukune was extremely grateful that Gin had saved them all, again he turned his full attention to the girls. Leaning over them again he could already see them waking out of their daze. Moka's eyes fluttered open to show her beautiful jade eyes to the glowing yellow lights that acted as his own. Her velvety lips curled to reveal a smile that sent shivers up his spine and her pink hair breezed lightly across her face. Her breath passed through those parted lips and she spoke only one word.

"Tsukune…"

The others pulled out of the haze of their disorientation and they too shouted his name in joy. Kurumu was especially happy to see him that she tried to pull her legs to her chest and slip through her binds, but got caught on herself. Tsukune flipped them all on their stomachs and ripped their binds apart with relative ease. They all scrambled to their knees to watch Gin with fascination as he once again took on Kuyou in his own transformed state. Each fighter was haggard and injured beyond belief; Kuyou no longer shined with that phosphorescent hyper glow and bled from his wounded eye, Gin bled from his snout and jaws while panting heavily. Even in his transformative state Gin was too damaged to keep up this fight for long. Taking this as a queue for his help Tsukune stood up, cracked his neck, and loosened his shoulders, ready to take Kuyou on with his sempai. Kuyou noticed Tsukune getting ready to take him on so he let out a several loud and arduous yips. Tsukune could see the larger PSC rising from the ground and to his feet in a strange manner. He no longer moved with the fluidity that natural muscle gave, but rather an awkward slowness. It was not long after that did Tsukune notice that his body started to grow and expand until his clothes could no longer contain his bulk. Kinniku was no longer of flesh, but was now stone and clay. He continued growth stopped only when he was bigger than Tsukune himself and appeared to have a body of absolute rock. His body wasn't the only thing that changed about him; his usually crudely animated face now resembled a face that an artistically deficient preschooler would create. His eyes were hollow, dead even, and his mouth and jaw cracked with every slight movement he made. Tsukune felt his anxiety grow, but was soon distracted by the sound of snapping tree branches.

Turning to the side, he could see Deshiko land in a tree not to far away from where he and the others stood. She violently swung her weapon at the branches that entrapped her until she broke enough branches to be released from her prison. Deshiko fell to her feet and brandished her weapon with an aggressive elegance. No longer did she have a jovial face about her, but a grim and dark look about her with an equally dark aura. Her skin was pale and gray and had dark circles under now dead eyes. Not knowing what to do next, Tsukune put up his guard and kept turning his head from Kinniku to Deshiko. He took a step back but stopped when he heard the gasps from the girls behind him. Deciding quickly that the danger they would be in if those two made it to him would be unacceptable Tsukune rushed towards the burnt log that Gin, Kuyou, and Kinniku were behind. The moment he ran for the log he could hear the telltale pitter-patter of rushing feet behind him, signaling that Deshiko was right behind him. Leap-froging onto the log he ran along the still hot bark as fast as his over-muscled legs would take him and still heard the mad PSC member easily keeping up with him.

On the other side, Tsukune could clearly see both the fox and wolf chasing each other all over the battleground. Gin delivered wicked right hooks to Kuyou's injured eye and he tried to bite Gin in half only to miss by mere inches. This little dance continued all over the grounds; sometimes Kuyou would use one of his many tails as a whip and manage to hit Gin other times Gin would kick or attack Kuyou in other places other than the eye, but none were as effective. Kuyou become aware of Tsukune running straight towards his subordinates and decided that he was done with Gin. The fox managed to shake Gin off with a quick burst of speed and several maneuvers then made a beeline to Tsukune.

Tsukune could see Kuyou coming right for him and instinctively started slow down, but this was a mistake as he was rewarded with a sharp blow to the back. He felt his ribs crack from the attack the crazed PSC member behind him delivered, causing him to speed up again. Scared to find out what would happen if he slowed down again, but not wanting to run into the waiting jaws of Kuyou, Tsukune weighed his options and jumped.

Kuyou was already waiting for him at the end of the log and was prepared for him trying to jump for it. Kuyou leapt to the skies, jaws open wide, and Tsukune soared overhead knowing that the beast was just underneath. Feeling the heat blasting from Kuyou's open mouth on his skin Tsukune looked down to see that unless something stopped him Kuyou would get him. The sight of the slightly melted teeth was terrifying and the stench of his gas-burner breath washed over him with such a vengeance. If it wasn't for the mask's protective covering he was positive that his sinuses would've easily been destroyed. Knowing that he was not going to make it, he braced his dominant leg he was ready to kick him at least once before being ripped to shreds.

In a surprising turn of events, Tsukune did not need to kick him when Gin managed to catch up to Kuyou and launched himself after the massive fox demon. He grappled Kuyou's neck and tackled the demon to the ground, allowing the gigantic human to pass freely. Safely landing beyond the two wrestling demons Tsukune rushed for the stone giant with his fist raised and intentionally ignored the light thud that came from his pursuer landing herself. Kinniku brought back his own fist and threw a wickedly heavy straight, which was met with Tsukune's own, only to produce bone-shattering results. Kinniku was left with a slight crack between the first and second knuckles while Tsukune's entire arm became a disgusting purplish red; his fingers were bent in strange angles and crippling pain radiated from his fingers to his shoulder. Jumping back to a safe distance, he gripped his injured arm, felt something wet and slippery, and noticed that the injury he received from Kuyou earlier was still present. Confusion set in, but before he could do anything about it, Kinniku was already on top of him and swung his stone arm downward. In a fast act of desperation Tsukune caught him with his non-injured hand, falling to his knees and feeling the earth crack under his feet, he trembled from the weight of Kinniku trying to crush him while trying to stay focused long enough to create a thought.

_'Why is this still here!'_

_**'Bitch it takes a lot of energy to bring somebody back from the brink of death, even for me, and now you want me to mend every little thing that ails ya!'**_

Applying even more pressure than before Kinniku did the best he could to flatten him with his granite fist, but Tsukune managed to hold him back. His arm trembled under Kinniku's fist, slipping in the dirt, his strength started to give and the mask continued its rant.

_**'For fuck's sake I'm running on E as it is, so if you want everything healed get me blood, or at the very least, time to prioritize each wound!'**_

The healing pain from the mask radiated throughout his fractured bones and immediately felt them reset back into place. His arm was still that ugly purplish color, but the pain had lessened severely, Tsukune experimented with his arm and once finding it sufficient enough to use he grasped onto Kinniku and pushed with all the power his semi-healed arm had. Shakily managing to get back on his feet, he was getting ready to strike back, but was completely unprepared for the giant stone foot that stuck him square in the chest. Launched into the air like a football Tsukune spun out of control with little chance of evening out before hitting the ground. Crash landing to the earth face first Tsukune slid along the ground, kicking up clumps of dirt and rock, until his body began to slow down and fell to his back hard. Paralyzed by the stone giant's kick Tsukune's now muscular chest was now a sunken purple mass of broken bone and flesh.

Quickly the creature within his head re-inflated his chest to the best of its capabilities. While his chest was no longer caved-in, it was still covered in tears and cuts, from the compressive force of the kick he just received, revealing red muscle tissue and occasional fragment of bone. Just as he got the feeling back to his body, Deshiko stood over him with staff in hand. Instantly he rolled to the side to dodge Deshiko's slam attack. Getting back to his feet Tsukune could already see the grim-looking female was already on him. Tsukune pulled back, but she was faster when she shot her staff at him, punching a hole in his stomach. Body ignoring the pain that it was in, Tsukune gripped the staff with his wounded hand and threw a wicked backhand, but the grimly woman jumped over with ease. She delivered a powerful enough spin kick to the back of his head to make him stumble head on into Kinniku who got revenge with his own shovel hook to Tsukune's abdomen. The power behind the punch was enough to push the staff all the way through his body cleanly, returning it to its owner and causing Tsukune to double-over in pain. He clutched his wounded stomach and blood oozed out from the openings of the mask. Kinniku wrapped his arm under Tsukune's chin and yanked him to his feet. The pressure on his throat choked off any attempt to call for any kind of help. With his body fully exposed Deshiko wailed on him with her weapon as if he was some oversized piñata.

Strike after strike landed on him, each leaving their own mark on his oversized chest and body. Deshiko relished in every bruise she made and every broken rib she left him with, fueling her aggression and cruelty, she struck him even harder and harder. Tsukune convulsed after every hit and in-between he clawed at the giant's arm in a vain attempt to escape. Kinniku chuckled lifelessly when he felt Tsukune struggle against him and tightened the chokehold he had around him. Tunnel vision started to settle in again and once more, the mask started to shout in his head.

_**'You've spent half this fight either on the ground or getting your ass handed to you! You should've killed them before any of these cock suckers turned you pansy-ass shit-stain.'**_

Still reeling from the lack of oxygen and the harsh beating he was taking Tsukune couldn't even summon the ability to express or produce a logical idea of escape. The two that had him trapped brutalized him to an even greater extent, both trying to crush and beat him to death. The more he tried to struggle against them the bigger the problem became. Finally, the thing in his head spoke with a cold cruelty that it could only achieve.

_**'Do something fast or I will.'**_

The hidden meaning behind those words scared him more than anything did in his entire life. Before the deal, he would have taken that as an empty threat, but now he didn't know what would happen and the only insurance he had was its solemn word. This motivated him beyond belief and with a sudden rush of chemicals and fear-induced power, Tsukune gripped the stone pillar of the golem's arm and pulled himself up at incredible speeds. Deshiko was taken back by surprise and Tsukune took that surprise for his advantage and kicked-off her with tremendous force. Deshiko flew back like a rocket and Tsukune was propelled into Kinniku's granite groin. The golem released the chokehold he had around him for the slightest of moments, but it was more than enough for Tsukune to slip under Kinniku's grip. Still taking advantage of this opportunity Tsukune hooked his injured arm around Kinniku's and hoisted himself onto his shoulders. Hanging off his back Tsukune put the stone giant in his own chokehold with his purple arm wrapped around his neck and with his other fully functioning arm; he pummeled the rocky lump that acted as Kinniku's head.

Again and again he brought his fist down like a hammer over the golem's head and cracks formed after each hit. Kinniku lurched and staggered after each blow to the head causing Tsukune to tighten the hold he had around his neck. Kinniku tried to buck the giant human off his back , but said human only hit him harder and harder until he could no longer take it. The rhythm of the beating was almost intoxicating; raising his fist up and down, the spreading fractures on the opponent's rocky surface, splinters of stone flying back at him after each impact, all of it had a sick calming effect on Tsukune. He fell on all fours with cracks radiating all over his head and Tsukune stood on top of him with both arms raised high in the air, ready to take him down for good, when he was suddenly hit with a hairy projectile.

Shot down from his perch on the golem's back Tsukune fell to the ground with the object still on his chest. Grabbing the object, he found that it was Gin who somehow catapulted across the grounds and hit him full in the upper body. His blackened wolf fur was singed and smoking wildly, face caked in dried blood, the only visible parts of his eyes were the whites. Tsukune put his ear to his sempai's chest, trying to confirm that he still had a heartbeat. While he had his ear to Gin's chest he noticed a faint white glow on the horizon. Rising from the ground Tsukune could see a light that could only be described as ethereal. He raised his hands in an attempt to protect his eyes and through his fingers, he could see a figure standing within the light.

The being stood alone in this light, regal, and tall, covered in white flames. This person was, from what Tsukune could distinguish, had a toned and muscular upper body, but his legs were wrapped in a cloud of fire obscuring his vision. The person had long flowing silver hair and fox-like ears poking themselves out from the platinum strands. His eyes were cold and ruthless, showing no emotions whatsoever, and large canines popped from under his lips. Kuyou had once again transformed no longer was he a monstrous fox beast, but now stood as a genuine fox god. Kuyou had no visible bruises or any signs of damage on his body. He was completely rejuvenated and refreshed by this amazing and sudden transformation. With a slight shake of the head, as if an abrupt feeling washed over him, he leisurely walked away from Tsukune and headed for the girls. They clustered together each with their own look of fear present in their eyes; Moka wrapped her arms around both her friends tightly, as if to protect them as a mother does her children, Yukari hid behind her hands like a frightened child, and Kurumu tried to stare down the monster that was Kuyou , but her quivering and tearing eyes betrayed the brave front she put up for the others.

Tsukune rushed towards the flaming youko when an unexpected vice-like grip grasped his ankle and pulled him down to the ground. He twisted around to spy a stone fist clutching his leg. The stone golem had gotten back to his senses and was dragging Tsukune back into his waiting arms. Kinniku rose to his feet, hanging Tsukune upside down, and swung his victim back to the ground. Crashing to the earth Tsukune felt dazed and numbed by the impact and barely felt being lifted a second time, but he did feel his injured purpled arm in the same stony vice-like grip as his leg. Kinniku began to pull him apart with such a vicious vigor that Tsukune fell into shock. Tendons tore and muscle shredded from the force of being pulled apart like a cheap toy, but something kept him together. Tsukune cried out, kicked, and struggled all in vain. His shoulder popped so far out of place until the only thing that kept it together was his bare flesh, stretching to the limits. He bit back screams as his already damaged limb was broken even further and the sounds of Kinniku's cruel laughter drowned out all other noises except for the voice of the mask.

_**'You'll thank me later.'**_

"Wha-AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH"

That something that kept his body from being pulled apart left and his arm was ripped from his body, exposing a large shaft of bone jutting from the bloody and meaty stump that was his shoulder. Jets of crimson blood spurted from his open wound while swinging wildly inside Kinniku's grasp. Said golem was knocked off balance by Tsukune's unexpected amputation and fell backwards, breaking the fall by throwing a hand behind him, and flung Tsukune into the air. Spinning like a top mid-air Tsukune didn't understand what it was that just happened, but the mask took command of the situation. Somehow, he became stabile when he reached the apex of his flight and was faced with Kinniku. The golem was down on the ground with one hand on the ground, trying to keep him off it, the other hand in the air clutching his now dismembered arm. Tsukune could feel his descent starting and the moment this happened he could hear the mask's excited voice screaming in his ears.

_**'He's down, MAKE'EM HURT!'**_

The mask's voice was excited, heavy, thirsted for blood and for the first time Tsukune was more than happy to oblige it. With his remaining arm Tsukune cocked, his fist as far back as he could and allowed gravity to take care of the rest. His overly muscled body fell out of the sky at a frightening rate the wind dragging across his skin did little to slow his descent. He was falling towards Kinniku like a meteorite, closing his body in tighter in order to give him even more speed, Tsukune was just a measly few feet above him. Kinniku released the grip he had on the lifeless limb and tried to snatch Tsukune out of the air, but it was too late. Tsukune was too close and too fast for the golem and when the time was right, he released an almighty punch that connected directly with the golem's jaw, cracking it in twain. The golem's jaw was cracked and unhinged by Tsukune's mighty punch, spewing rock and gravel, but no bodily fluid, and Tsukune landed safely with his fist creating a small crater in the ground. Not taking the time to take pleasure in Kinniku's well-deserved suffering Tsukune spun around to see the new Kuyou already walking towards the burnt log. His mere presence started to reduce the log to ash and whenever he stepped on the ash itself, it was reduced to nothing. Scared of what might happen if the leader of Public Safety Commission made it to the others Tsukune stared down at the bloody meaty stump of a shoulder. The massive bleeding had stopped, but he knew that that wasn't enough for Tsukune to even consider stopping him. Rooting among the ground he picked up his severed arm and did something gruesome and unimaginable; he attempted to reattach it.

The appendage was now a purplish-black and already reeked of rot. Grasping his decomposing arm, he stuck the rotted thing at the end of the shaft of bone and pulled. The most wretched of sounds were made as the bone made its way within the rancid meat. It squelched and squished and expelled some sort of sour fluid that could no longer be considered blood or even humanly. This milky-white fluid dripped and streamed down his side, giving off a foul stench. The remaining nerves in the bone screamed in anguish, but he fought through the pain until he hit the left over bone. Somewhat reattached he ran towards Kuyou with the dead limb, flailing uselessly by his side, he spoke aloud.

"Heal me!"

_**'Uhh yea-no. That ain't gonna happen.'**_

That only thing that stopped him from breaking his stride was the fact that Kuyou was already halfway done with the log that separated him from the others. Already he could feel the dead meat sliding off his bones, slapping against his side, disgusting him to no ends. Though he was running, his mind was stuck on the fact that he performed such a revolting act for apparently no reason at all. Angrily he yelled into the air not caring if anyone heard, they did not, and demanded why not. The creature answered with a type of condescension that made it seem obvious why.

_**'I told you that I can regenerate limbs not reattach them plus I may have already mention this, but I'm running on fumes as it is you ass '**_

"THEN WHY DID I DO THIS!"

_**'I dunno…maybe you're a closeted sick fuck.'**_

Frustrated, Tsukune sped up in order to catch up with Kuyou. Jumping over a lone tombstone the necrotic lump of meat fell off his bones and landed on the ground with an audible thud. Not even looking back, he did not notice the flesh on the chunk of blackened meat bubble and corrode to nothing, leaving only a greasy black stain on the dirt. With as much grace and agility as he could muster from his bulky one-armed frame, Tsukune hurdled over the tombstones and darted out of the way of trees, several of which were aflame, and at one point jumped over the squirming body of Deshiko. Halfway to Kuyou Tsukune could see the girls getting ready for his arrival; Moka had took what could be described as an extremely hesitant martial stance, Yukari held a small, but thick branch in her hands in place of her wand, and finally Kurumu stood with wings and claws extended. They all had a brave front, but alas; they all knew it was for naught, they had no delusions of victory, because if Kuyou reached them they would be destroyed. Tsukne was nearly there as he already could feel the ash between his toes, feet sliding slightly across the cinders, hand outstretched. Coming closer he could feel the furnace-like heat coming off of Kuyou's body , but still he pushed forward.

At first Tsukune seemed that he would have the upper hand. He was almost upon Kuyou, who did not appear to notice Tsukune's presence yet, with his huge frame spread out as if to cause maximum shock and awe. Breaking all the way through the shield of white cloud-fire it looked like Kuyou was not going to be able to react in time and for the first time in this whole ordeal the girls started to relax. In one moment Tsukune was about to drop the hammer down on Kuyou's head and the next he had a hand sticking out of his chest. No one knew how this happened; first Tsukune was about to surprise attack Kuyou from behind and the next second Kuyou had his own hand inside Tsukune, it was a terrible sight. Kuyou still had on a look of indifference and boredom even as he twisted his fingers in the cooking chest wound. Easily he raised his hand skyward with Tsukune still attached and kept it up with ease. Gravity worked on his massive frame, pushing the fingers in his chest even deeper, he thrashed about in the air pathetically trying to release himself from this burning hell. The feeling of being cooked and burnt from the inside out was the strangest and most painful thing that he felt this day. He tried to swipe at Kuyou with his only functioning hand, but whenever he came close the robotic Youko twitched the fingers he had inside Tsukune allowing them to dig deeper into his core. The further the Youko's fingers went into his chest the greater the pain was and subsequently the weaker he became. In a moment of desperation, Tsukune grabbed Kuyou's arm and tried to push himself off him, but that was a mistake. White cloud-fire swallowed up his hand and burned it so badly that he lost his concentration, let go, and was impaled. The struggling had stopped when he fell back on Kuyou's hand and there he lay on that hand limp and lifeless.

The Youko stood their silently for a moment with Tsukune, who lay impaled on his hand, and then carelessly threw him towards the girls. Tsukune flew in the air, seemingly gliding, over the heads of Moka and the others and smashed into the ground. The girls quickly forgot about Kuyou and surrounded Tsukune's body. Every injury on his body could be seen; his missing arm with bone sticking out of a meaty stump of a shoulder, the small hole in the middle of his abdomen, the various burns, cuts, and bruises found all over, the entirety of his chest bruised internally and externally, and finally the hand-sized hole in the middle. The girls found that the meat inside the wound was cooked from the inside, giving off a strange stench that was similar to overcooked beef, with blood pooling at the bottom. All three of them placed their heads on is gigantic chest expecting to hear a heartbeat, but heard none. Tears welled in the eyes of all of them as they watched parts of his body started to twitch randomly and the lights within the eyes of the mask begin to dim. Kurumu and Yukari got back on their feet with tears streaming down their cheeks and weapons at the ready. Both of them turned to Kuyou's direction and waited while the fallen tree that separated the two groups was being reduced to carbon ash. The light that came from the demon's body grew brighter as he came closer to them. Kurumu raised her claws and wings while growling in an angry, but albeit cute manner and Yukari tightened the grip she had on the club.

Moka observed her friends getting ready to face the person would be their destroyer, but quickly turned her attentions back to Tsukune's dying form. His body's twitching increased violently and started to become cold to the touch. She didn't know what to do as Tsukune's sporadic convulsions started to lessen and the unholy lights dimmed drastically to the point that they started to flicker. With tear-stained eyes she placed her hands on both sides of his head she fought back her sobs of anguish while she watched what she could tell would be her friend's final moments. Burying her face in the remainder of his chest, she felt an inkling in the back of her head, a voice that she hadn't heard in a long time.

_**'Bite his neck.'**_

Her heart pounded when she heard this inner voice telling her to bite the neck of her dying friend, but instead of fighting against its wishes Moka did what she was told. Lowering her head, she stopped at the crook of his neck for a moment, contemplating on what the voice in her head asked her to do, and then bite down. A rush of blood sped through her head, nausea quickly setting in, and the feeling of being drained was quite unsettling. Moka's strength dwindled dramatically as her bodily fluids depleted and she couldn't help but wonder if this was how Tsukune felt when she fed off of him on an almost daily basis. The longer she held her bite the weaker she became and the stronger Tsukune's bodily spasms became. Bucking and kicking about Moka tried to keep her grip on him, but eventually lost it. Moka's head swam and Tsukune flopped around on the ground like a freshly caught fish; thrashing his only arm, cracking the ground beneath him with repeated head-banging, feet kicking in the air, but the light in his eyes still flickered in and out. Moka did not understand what was going on, but for a moment she was hopeful, especially when his back arched up so high that he actually started to rise from the ground, immediately she reached for his enormous hand and clutched it tightly with her own perfect ones. Not having any clue as to what was going on the voice answered her unasked questions.

_**'Just how his blood feeds us, our blood has the possibility of saving him, but it's dangerous for us and him.'**_

Already the side-affects from the unexpected blood transfusion were hitting her hard; dizzy spells, anemia, and sudden weakness in the joints were all present, but from what she could tell, all of this paled in comparison to what was going on with Tsukune. His body was reacting violently with her blood. Muscle spasms and ticks were present and his skin stretch beyond their physical limits, ripping apart at their weak points, exposing what little muscle he had left that was not completely destroyed. His skin started to turn an unhealthy ashen-grey color and, though she couldn't confirm it, his body looked like it was getting taller. Moka held onto Tsukune's hand tighter than before hoping that, despite of how his body was reacting to her blood, his body was healing.

Those hopes she had for him were gone when his body slumped to the ground with muscles flaccid, skin cold and oily, and the once bright lights that burned deep inside the mask were snuffed out completely. Moka held his hand not able to comprehend what had just happened, but Tsukune's still body and extinguished eyes made it clear that the transfusion of vampiric blood did not do what she wanted it to do. The hold she had on his cold lifeless hand tightened until she heard the bones in his fingers crack under the pressure. Kurumu and Yukari were too preoccupied with the arrival of Kuyou to notice that their best friend, the boy who claimed to be human, died not from the wounds he received from defending them, but rather from Moka's attempt to save his life. At last, Kuyou had utterly burned away the fallen tree trunk that separated him from the girls and stood face to face with Kurumu and Yukari. The hellish heat exerted from his body overwhelmed both of the girls. It ignited the wooden club that was in Yukari's hand and Kurumu raised her hands in order to protect her eyes from the combination of light and heat.

Kuyou stood in front of them in such a magnificent manner that he almost seemed god-like; glowing with an outwardly ethereal light that spewed from his body, surrounded by white flames, not a single blemish present on his body. The look on his was one of someone judging the unworthy from up on high and those who were in front of him where the lowest form of insects. Moka could feel the hot air from Kuyou whooshing past her with incredible speeds, whipping her hair around her face, but she ignored it all with the unrealistic wish that she could just sit their holding Tsukune's hand forever. Kurumu tried to take a step forward and dig her claws into this faux deity, but was immediately overwhelmed by the blend of heat and light and was thrown onto her back while Yukari curled up into a ball with one hand keeping her hat on and the other hand holding tightly to her cape. Moka continued to hold Tsukune's hand, but she turned her head towards Kuyou's direction with tears evaporating from her eyes before they even fell. The ground around Kuyou cracked with every step he took and the air around his body bent and waved. Stopping several feet away from the girl and the giant's corpse Kuyou raised his hand to the sky, glowing brighter than the rest of his body, and stared her down with that critical expression. Moka looked back at him with her own innocent heartrending expression written in her eyes and raised hers and Tsukune's hands to her chest.

"Gomen Tsukune…"

A violent purple radiance burst forth from her chest and engulfed everyone within it like an explosion. Yukari and Kurumu where wrapped up by Moka's powerful demonic aura in a way that both suppressed and protected them. That same demonic aura fought with Kuyou's own for dominance; the two forms of light smashed and crashed into one another, swirled and mixed, melded and separated until they cancelled themselves out. Kuyou stood there, no longer wrapped in his heavenly light, watching as the once shy and teary girl transform before his very eyes. Long silver locks of hair grew in place of her usual pink ones and her normally jade eyes burned scarlet. Her fingernails sharpened ever so slightly, forming perfectly manicured points, and skin with a wonderfully developed smooth milky-white complexion. Glistening fangs poked themselves out from her now pouty ruby lips and finally her own feminine toned muscles popped out from her arms and long slender legs. Still clutching Tsukune's hand she put it down on the ground, revealing a small rosary in his hand, and gently placed one of her own across the forehead of the mask. With a type of tenderness that this Moka had never shown before she lowered her head to meet his and stayed that way for several seconds. What she did was unknown to all, whether it was a farewell kiss, words, or even a moment of silence between the two nobody knew, but when she was done Moka stood up and faced Kuyou with hate burning in her eyes.

Yukari was amazed to see this form of Moka's for the first time and Kurumu lay silently on the ground staring up in amazement seeing Moka like this again. Kuyou on the other hand did not seem to be impressed nor even cared about her transformation, but instead cranked out even more heat than before. Moka neither flinched nor gave off any sign of being afraid, but instead prepared herself to meet him. The girls were awe-stricken and excited until finally noticing Tsukune's unmoving body. They both tried to reach Tsukune, but made absolutely no headway against the hot air that buffeted their bodies. Moka stood strong against these volcanic winds, silver hair whipping wildly and beads of sweat clinging to her body, and took a defiant stance. Kuyou was still unimpressed by this girl's courageous turn of personality, but at least had the decency to acknowledge her. Scanning her from top to bottom, he finished his mental analysis and said one word.

"Vampire. "

When the word was spoken Moka launched herself at the youko, screaming at the top of her lungs, with every intention of taking down the sanctimonious fox-god. Said fox-god stood still with seemingly no intention of moving a muscle, but instead another holy ray of fiery light emitted from his body like a self-defense mechanism. Fighting through this burning light Moka could feel the white-hot flames biting at the exposed parts of her body and turning her school coat to ash. The light was blinding, but she did not dare take her eyes off the little black smudge that her mind assumed to be Kuyou. With everything she had Moka pushed onward until throwing a powerful kick towards the little black smudge with whatever might she had left in her body. The burning light was dispelled like a bad curse and revealed Kuyou holding on to her foot with one hand.

"Pathetic. "

Keeping his hold on her foot, he swung Moka around. She glided temporarily over his shoulder, but landed gracefully on her feet. Neither one of them wasting any time, they ran out to meet one another with fists. Moka threw punch after punch and kick after kick, but none of them landed. Kuyou dodged and blocked every single one attack with relative ease and an extremely bored expression on his face. Moka did her best to make any kind of contact with the enemy, but it was harder than expected; every kick to the head was dodged, every potential punch to the groin blocked, every feint anticipated and every attack in-between countered with ruthless precision. Sweat began to accumulate on the brow of her forehead and panted heavily while her assault continued, but Kuyou did not even seem nervous about anything. The thumping in her chest and the inability to catch her breath made her realize that the failed transfusion had not only taken Tsukune's life, but also a huge toll on her as well. Her head swam in the waves of nausea that hit her while muscles screamed for more oxygen; the remainder of her shirt and what little exposed piece of bra were drenched with sweat, hair clumped together nastily, her eyes started to bag, all in all she looked extremely worn-down. Kuyou on the other hand still looked absolutely pristine, not a scratch, not a hair out of place and breathing in a calm and relaxed fashion. With his calm robotic tone of voice Kuyou softly spoke, just loud enough for Moka to hear.

"I thought that vampires were supposed to be of an S-class nature, but this truly pitiable. It seems that neither you nor that weakling are worth my or anyone else's time."

Taking in the elitist's words Moka glared at him with pure disgust and hate while he responded by staring back with no emotion what so ever. Even with all of the hate that she was giving off Moka tore her eyes away from Kuyou's and looked over his shoulder to see the others surrounding Tsukune's unresponsive corpse. Kurumu knelt beside him with tears streaming down the side of her face in torrents, unremittingly pounded against his chest and cried out when he did not respond while Yukari laid his head in her lap and stared off into space with an empty dead expression. This overpowering show of emotion was enough to give her the strength to reconnect eye contact with the arrogant youko and spoke with a confidence that her weakened body did not share.

**"Tsukune is worth the time, scum like you is not. "**

Kuyou didn't say anything about that remark, but instead gave one of his trademark finger snaps. Soon the thunderous sounds of stone footfalls hit the earth behind her and at once turned her head around to see Kinniku and Deshiko once again rose from the ground. From what Moka could see Kinniku was relatively unharmed despite the spider-cracked dome and broken jaw, but Deshiko was a different story. The grim-looking orangette held onto her once modest chest that was now almost completely flattened by Tsukune's final attack on her. Moka was completely surrounded by the remainder of the Public Safety Commission, two of which were injured, but still very capable, and she was barely able to stand on her own two feet. Kinniku and Deshiko closed in on her with hungry dead eyes while Kuyou took slow steady steps towards her with equally dead eyes. Though Moka's eyes were filled with defiant hate for Kuyou and the others, her stomach was filled with the feeling that a wounded and cornered animal gets just before being devoured by a pack of wild dogs. Closer and closer they came to her the greater that feeling in her stomach became.

Fight or flight instincts telling her body to kick everything that moved, but her mind told her that it would be no use in her condition; one was too much for her let alone three. Continuously Moka whipped around from Kinniku and Deshiko to Kuyou, all of whom were dangerously close to her. Knowing that she had no chance of winning against all three of these fighters Moka did the only thing she could think of; she steeled herself for the oncoming onslaught and silently prayed for any kind of help. Little did she know that help did arrive for Moka in the form of a screaming blur that zoomed pass Kuyou and Moka. The youko did not flinch at all, but rather raised a curious eyebrow and Moka felt the wind whipping under her skirt and hair. She spun around, trying to find out what exactly it was that shot pass the both of them, only to see both Kinniku and Deshiko preoccupied with the previously stated screaming bullet, swinging their arms and weapon in the air. Kinniku swung his arms in the sky with the grace of a drunken toddler so the flying blur easily evaded all of his attempts; the orange-haired Deshiko jumped from the ground and kicked-off her big stone partner trying to whack the thing out of the sky, but each time was met with failure as she either missed or was herself knocked from the sky. Apparently fascinated by this flying marvel the two lower members of the Public Safety Commission had completely forgotten about their original objective.

Moka herself was guilty of speculating as to what exactly it was that saved her from the PSC members that would have crushed her from behind. The thing flew at such high speeds and gave off such a high pitched screech that she couldn't even begin to speculate. The thing continued to fly in-between Kinniku's hands, swooping in front of his face, and still knocked Deshik straight out of the sky. Soon it became obvious that this unidentified flying object was enraging the both of them and their attempts became even more frenetic. Deshiko jumped off her partner even harder and swung her staff from side-to-side in the most dangerous of manners and Kinniku punched and arc his arms recklessly, not caring if he hit himself, his partner, or his target. A few quick seconds passed when Kinniku succeeded in clipping the screaming projectile, sending it outward several yards, but it boomeranged back and struck the golem right in the face. Finally the flying projectile stopped long enough to reveal itself to everyone; a hysterically screaming Kurumu. The girl had latched herself to Kinniku's face with her claws and started to shriek obscenities and accusations over who killed her beloved Tsukune. With more force than was necessary the golem ripped the girl of his face , but she didn't stop swinging her extremely sharp nails, leaving shallow cuts along his granite arm, leaving him the only option of letting her go in order to save his arm. Though freed from the giant's grip she remained on the offensive, developing a kind on tunnel vision only for Kinniku and wholly forgotten about the hopping zombie that was Deshiko.

The grimly orange-haired girl in question was right behind the two opponents and was more than ready to intervene. Moka could tell instantly what that girl was planning to do and immediately tried to stop her, but was beaten to the punch when the last female PSC member was suddenly struck in the back of the head with a small stone. Both of the girls turned to find the attacker was none other than Yukari herself, holding a new stick in her hand and a stone in the other. Deshiko glared at the tiny witch and marched towards her with her staff sweeping back and forth across the ground. The witch quickly gathered more stones up off the ground and started to throw them at Deshiko who swatted them away like flies. Even though the witch was clearly outmatched without her wand, but Moka knew that if she managed to stay out of reach from any of Deshiko's attacks she would be okay. A type of renewed vigor filled her along with the knowledge of knowing that even in death Tsukune had the power to bring people together and have them fight for a common goal and with that Moka faced the flaming youko with a cocky smirk and confidence to match.

Kuyou's head tilted curiously to the left when he watched the silver-haired vampire getting ready to fight him again and furrowed his eyebrows when she didn't show signs of backing down. Playfully twirling his fingers, he managed to produce five separate white-hot sparks at the end of each fingertip. The sparks started to churn themselves and revolve around the central point of his palm and slowly they came together to form what could only be described as a miniature electric-blue sun. From what Moka could observe from where she stood the ball of fire did not just look like a sun , but acted like one too; mini-loops of fire pushed out from its center much like solar flares and slowly it revolved in the palm of his hand. Instinctively Moka readied her body for what she believed was going to be a particularly nasty attack, which was a severe understatement. With sheer ferocity, he seized the ball and pulled back, like a baseball pitcher, and released with everything he had. The blue fireball rocketed towards her like a bullet, zigzagging and curving all over the place making its movements impossible to predict, but Moka was not scared. Fireball careening at her she stood still waiting for what anyone could guess was the last possible moment due dodge. The moment came and with the elegance and grace she was known for Moka performed a textbook back flip with the minimal difficulty.

Arching her back as far as she could go, sensing the heat from the blue blaze underneath her. Halfway through her acrobatic feat she came face to face with the blazing blue ball of fire. Up close Moka noticed every little detail about the attack; it was roughly the size of a runty grape and even though it was a fiery ball of electric-blue death it did not glow nearly as bright as its source. The air around it distorted slightly and without touching her, it still burned her skin just by being within the proximity of it. Moka simultaneously managed to barely dodge the attack, land on her feet, and rushed after Kuyou.

Despite having the attack miss and an angry vampiress angrily charging at him Kuyou was strangely calm, happy even, and Moka noticed. Kuyou's fingers twisted and twitched with such strange gestures that she was suddenly overcome with the feeling that something bad was going to happen when her intuition struck. Sweeping around with a half-turn she spied the blue fireball against the golden skyline and, to her amazement, watched as it rebounded back towards her faster than before. It was more than obvious that Kuyou had some kind of loose control over this little blue sphere and was roughly aiming it at Moka's back. There was little time for thinking, but Moka already had a plan forming in the back of her mind. Instead of stopping or running in a different direction, she continued her charge towards the youko. Kuyou let a small, but sadistic grin twitch across his face and continued twisting his fingers, but faster. She was closing the gap between the two and he was doing the same, it was a race between her and hot death and she was determined to win.

The repetition of her shoes hitting the ground was the only thing she heard and the prickling heat on her back and eyes only for Kuyou's smug face. Racing forward she was almost ready to attack when Kuyou stopped with his strange mannerisms and pulled back his own fist. Immediately Moka did not stop, but instead of attacking as she originally planned, she quickly improvised by diving onto the ground and slid in-between his legs. She made it safely to the other side and before she could get up and turn around an explosion boomed loudly behind her. Moka's silvery hair thrashed about her and the moment she turned around she could see the explosion engulfing the area where Kuyou stood. It was a literal fire storm that stood in front of her; raging and expanding outward in the chaotic fashion that one would expect from an explosion , but that did not quell her anxiety. The explosion itself was slowing down to unbelievable speeds that it scarcely reached her with its fiery anger. She was nose-to-nose with the explosion itself, staring down an inanimate action as though it were an actual living thing and like most living things that she stared down, it backed off.

It receded slowly back to its central point and compressed itself tighter and tighter. The explosion was now acting more like an implosion, acting in reverse and becoming smaller. Eventually the fires drew back far enough to reveal Kuyou, unharmed and un-rattled, looking intently at her with a form of condescending smugness that she had never seen before. Amazingly enough the explosion started to wrap itself tightly around his right arm causing his already lustrous arm to burn even brighter with a red-hot glow. Moka was wary about this, but didn't have time to worry or even think about what to do next she just ran at him, ready to attack him. The red marks on Kuyou's face rose upward in mild interest at the girl who refused to run or give up, but that did not give him any hesitation. He turned to face the girl with a smile on his face and waited with his arm glowing like hot coals. The two were ready to meet again, Moka with her foot already pulled back as was Kuyou's red-hot fist so it soon boiled down to a contest of speed and who could deliver the better deathblow. The two fighters released their attacks at the same time, Moka's school issued shoe traveled through the air and until it found its way onto Kuyou jaw, cracking it slightly, but what Kuyou did was far worst.

His fist simply touched her chest, but what happened was unbelievable, the explosion that he had absorbed into his right arm was released with all of its original blasting power and perhaps a little extra. She felt everything forced against her body, the heat, and power and perhaps the only thing that stopped it from tearing her to shreds at that very moment was the lack of any discernable shrapnel. Like any good explosion the force behind it blew her far away from the source of it, Kuyou, and she skipped along the dirty ground like a rock along the surface of a pond. Her body bounced over several tombstones until she crashed into the one that she didn't. The tombstone cracked from the back of her skull slamming against it, causing it to crumble apart and the pieces fell onto her unmoving body. Pieces of cheap marble landed heavily on her body leaving her slightly dazed for a few moments, but quickly regained consciousness. Groggily pushing off the large chunks off her body Moka pushed herself off the ground and shakily stood on her own two feet while glaring at the still-standing youko. The fox's jaw was pushed out at an odd angle, but with a firm grip and a powerful tug, he popped his jaw back into place, leaving only a bruise to prove that it was once out of place. Sneering in disgust at the level of nonchalantness that Kuyou exuded Moka tensed her body again while Kuyou stood in that one spot, staring and waiting. The explosion had nearly completely destroyed her shirt, leaving only the top intact, showing a large burn mark on her that was suspiciously shaped like a fist. It became painfully obvious that Moka wasn't going to win this fight as easily as the others and it was the same for the others.

Yukari was still being fiercely chased by the jumping orange-haired zombie girl, with nothing more than a stick and several stones stuffed in her uniform pockets. The pre-pubescent witch managing to stay ahead of her pursuer was nothing short of a miracle. Deshiko was faster than Yukari and predicted every sharp turn that she made, several times Deshiko actually caught up with the little girl and almost captured her, but Yukari's quick-witted mind and tiny squirmy body eluded the female PSC member every time. Kurumu was a different story; she stayed up close and personal with Kinniku, trying to turn his face and arms into nothing, but one giant scratch mark. The golem was so overwhelmed by the tiny women's attacks and shrieking combination that he did not have time to make a counterattack, but that didn't stop him from defending himself. He would reach out for her or try to ram his stony shoulder against her, but she would swoop under or back up far enough just to be out of reach, but not so much that she could not close in fast enough so that he wouldn't have enough time to gather his thoughts. This went on for several minutes, leaving several deep cuts across Kinniku's granite arms and Kurumu even angrier than before. This one-sided fight didn't last for long when Kinniku displayed a level of intelligence that none of them expected from this dull-witted walking statue. She continued her assault on the stone giant when she stopped when he looked like he was about to thrust his shoulder at her and jumped back, waiting for a shoulder ram that never came. Kinniku managed to pull a clever feint in the middle of the chaos that ensued and quickly took advantage of the unguarded succubus, grabbing her in mid-air.

Kurumu wriggled and writhed under the continuous pressure that Kinniku's hands put on her tiny lithe body as he attempted to crush her to death. Jaw broken he gave a crooked smile as he watched her struggled in pain and listened to the noises that her popping bones made, but the one thing that stopped him from enjoying the full entertainment value of her torment was that she never broke eye contact. The giant leered at the rebellious succubus and squeezed even tighter. Kurumu did not blink even as her joints popped she just kept her eyes locked with her captor's. Kinniku did not know why, but the tiny succubus scared him, her unwavering defiant attitude and her apparent inability to release her glare scared him greatly. Staring deeply into her eyes with his dead ones it came to a point that it felt that his was playing tricks on him. If he did not know any better he could have swore that her lavender eyes deepened in color and start to glow ever so slightly.

The sound of the earth cracking around his feet startled him greatly and looking down he could see the roots of the surrounding dead trees rising from the fissures. Heart beating hard against his stone chest as the zombie-roots clutched his feet and grew all over his body like literal weeds and strangled him like live snakes. As far as Kinniku knew, succubi had no power over the earth or plants, but somehow he knew that she was to blame so he tightened his grip while the plants tightened theirs.

It was a stalemate between everyone; Yukari and Deshiko's deadly game of cat and mouse, Kurumu's strangling contest with the golem and finally the seemingly invincible Kuyou versus the extremely angry Moka. Everyone was fighting the other for what they believed in whether it was to avenge their fallen friend or because of a perverse sense of justice convictions clashed violently and neither party was backing down. Moka stood in that one spot knowing that, with the combination of blood-loss and damage she endured from the last attack, that she was standing on her last leg. Sensing this Kuyou actually started to walk towards her with his fist glowing red. His stride was casual in an arrogant sort of way while bringing his fist up to his side. Moka braced herself for him, even though she had no idea of what to do, she tensed her powerful back leg out of instinct and prepared for what she believed would be her final attack. The closer the fox demon came the harder she tried to think of a plan that wouldn't result in her death and leave Kuyou to get the others; if she kicked his fist at the right time would that diffuse the explosion? And if that did, would she have enough time to attack him properly? All these questions swam in her head and the entire time the only thing that seemed certain was that, anything short of a miracle happening in the next few seconds, this was going to be the end. Kuyou stood just a few feet short, just far enough to be out of her reach, and pulled his fist back tight.

He stopped; Kuyou just stood there with his fist raised and did absolutely nothing. Moka was absolutely defenseless, but something wouldn't allow him to deliver the final blow. Gone was that robotic confidence of his, replaced with something that he never wanted to show, but his wavering fist displayed to anyone watching; he was paralyzed by the most powerful and ancient of emotions, fear. Fear had struck him motionless, frozen in that same stance in front of Moka, trembling heavily in that one spot, but he wasn't the only one. Moka for the first time in this fight showed signs of fear; pupils dilated to the size of saucers, her breath was rapid and shallow, the vein in her neck bulged and pulsed at a violent pace. This strange phenomenon was not contained to just these two, it seemed like everyone was suffering from a fear that could only be described as primeval.

Kurumu and Kinniku were also stricken by this bizarre phenomenon. The vines that had entwined themselves around his body and tried to crush him had disappeared as if they had never existed and he let her go out of this new overwhelming fear. Kurumu fell on her back and crawled away until she backed onto one of the many tombstones and curled her body tightly into a ball against its marbled surface. Kinniku shied away and kept looking over his shoulder as if some specter of death was sneaking behind him. Deshiko stopped chasing after the little witch and the both of them laid on the ground shivering in fright, but this did not end with them. Like a viral epidemic the disease known as fear spread out to infect all that it could reach. Those random clusters of students and staff that were still present on the school grounds all exhibit symptoms of this plague from standing still with eyes wide with terror to pacing back and forth speaking fast and nervously in low hushed tones. Even those that who thought they were safe within walls of the school were affected by the bizarre event.

Moka could feel her blood run could while goose bumps formed all over her body and she didn't know why. The wind that blew across her skin was warm and the sounds on the school grounds were the same as before, but still she was afraid. She had never felt a fear like this before, it was a base fear almost instinctual; it was almost as if a sixth sense was kicking in, like when animals sensed earthquakes or other natural disasters, it was telling her that something bad was about to happen. Gathering enough mental willpower Moka shakily gazed over at the Tsukune's corpse. The primal fear grew deeper in the minds of all those affected, tensions mounted to near critical mass and the seeds of paranoia sprouted. Madness settled in on everyone and soon the sounds of mad screams echoed through the halls of the academy and the school grounds. Kurumu, Kinniku, Deshiko, and Yukari were eventually sent into the same screaming fits of madness, whether they were curled up in the fetal position or standing straight with their head thrust upward to the sky they all shrieked in primal terror, all except Kuyou and Moka. The youko was at a standstill with his fist still raised by his side and shaking all over. His muscles twitched violently when he tried to punch the distracted vampire, but his fear paralyzed every inch of his body. Moka on the other hand did not fight her paralytic fear, but rather let it wash over her just as long as she was able to stare at Tsukune and waited for whatever catastrophe that was about to befall them all.

Moka did not have to wait long for this catastrophe to happen as the skies blackened in an unnatural fast fashion. Everyone their turned their attentions to the skies, those in the academy building peered out the windows and what they saw had justified their primordial fears. Jets of inky black smoke emerged from every corner of the horizon like columns from a many-tentacled beast. Snaking their way across the sky the jet-black limbs twisted themselves and ultimately branched out. Like greasy veins of oily vapor the clouds mindlessly traveled to one central point in the sky; the sun. In an eerily snake-like manner, they coiled around the circled inferno and injected themselves into the sun itself, filling it with their liquid-vaporous selves. It was a sight to behold for anybody; to watch what most would see as the symbol of normalcy and eternal being invaded by something so foreign and terrifying right in front of their eyes. The black tendrils continued to empty themselves into the sun, tainting its shining surface with their indelible murky-ink blackness. Gradually the oily veins started to thin out as they filled the sun's luminescent surface with their evil touches until they had drained completely into the sun completely. The skies were clear of the monstrously smoky tendrils, but the grounds were still darkened by the black sun. The oily vapors swirled fiercely within the confines of the sun, forming eldritch shapes among its surface and giving light to, but a few patches of dirt.

The insanity did not stop there for when the skies cleared and the sun blackened the ground started to rumble. It started off quiet and calm, much like a tiny aftershock, but it quickly grew to a mighty type of quake. Some of the weakened trees fell from the force the ground exerted all of the tombstones rattled and everyone ascended to a new level of fear. They all wanted to run, but had nowhere to go. The crowds, whether outside or in the school, ran around in circles like headless chickens, screaming bloody murder and stampeding over one another in order to get to a safe haven that existed only in their minds, in fact the only ones that hadn't moved from their spots were; Kuyou, Moka, and Kurumu. The first two were able to overcome this new insanity with their own powerful wills, but Kurumu was hit with a full dose. She babbled and screeched unintelligible jibber-jabber while clinging to the safety of her tombstone. She fought against the rattling marble and the encroaching madness that was attempting to occupy her mind, but only managed to keep herself from falling of the metaphorical edge. During the middle of this frenzied state of affairs, she noticed countless bumps of dirt rising from the earth and growing rapidly in size. Rocks and loose soil rolled off the tops of these rapidly growing hills as they popped up from the grounds in front of the, or where once stood, tombstones. One of these bumps formed in front of Kurumu and quickly grew in size. Her already overtaxed mind watched in terror as the loose gravel from the top of the bump growing in front of her fell away to reveal the top of some buried object.

More of theses strange objects burst from the tops of these strange dirty bumps and each one grew taller and taller. Kurumu's already panic-stricken eyes widened as a dim shadow stretched itself across her body and the object rose higher. Quaking of the grounds calmed as the objects wriggled out from the graves. Soon the tremors stopped and so did the objects; the entire grounds were now littered with several fallen trees, pushed tombstones, and the tall objects that could be properly identified. They were caskets, standing tall and erect from the school grounds, having been able to wiggle themselves out from their dirty graves and stood tall in the warm breeze and dimmed light from the sun. Everyone panicked even worse than before when the coffins rose out of the school grounds, but it had nearly traumatized Kurumu. The succubus was frozen from panic and confusion as a coffin had pushed its way to the surface not more than a few feet away from her and stared at its polished wooden surface gleam in the weak light given by the covered sun. She stared at the caskets with unblinking eyes for an entire minute when she finally noticed a dulled scratching noise coming from inside the casket itself!

Explosions rang out across the school grounds and wooden splinters were showered all over the place and within the mix of the chaos two things fell out of each casket. The first thing that fell out each casket was either a disgusting medley of decomposing body parts or dust, depending on how old the occupants were, but the second thing that came out was the same for every single casket. Shrieks filled the skies, but none were from the students or staff. It was a grisly sight as for what came out of each casket were spectral abominations of indescribable horror. Each one of them was nearly translucent and in place of legs, each one of these ghostly atrocities had a single thin, whip-like tail that thrashed violently through the air. These spirits were the corpses of those trapped within the caskets; they all had concaved skeletal chests that revealed their gruesome innards and broken ribs. Their arms were impossibly thin with skin flaps hanging from these twigs, fingers were long and rake-like, and finally their heads were nothing more than skulls with gigantic rodent teeth sticking out of their mouths at odd angles. There were thousands of these shrieking monstrosities and without wasting anytime, they all rose to the darkened heavens to congregate in the skies. Nobody knew how to react to this unholy spectacle; thousands of ghoulish specters of the dead circling in the sky like sharks. In the middle of this vortex of the damned was the black sun itself with the swirling inkiness starting to form a final shape among its blocked surface.

While everyone stared up at the sun and flying ghosts of those buried in the school grounds, none but Moka noticed that they were circling above the area that Tsukune's body laid. The ghosts continued to circle above him lazily and seemed lost in their own strange little world. Moka didn't understand why this was happening, but knew that, even after everything that had just happened, there was still more to come. In an instant the poltergeists came out of their world and dive-bombed straight towards Tsukune's dead body. Thousands of these spirits fell from the skies like hellish vultures ready to feast on the decomposing carcass and when they reached their destination, they attacked with extreme aggression. The things burrowed themselves into Tsukune's chest; tails whipping as they sunk in, and those that weren't lucky enough to get at his chest attacked the others that tried to get in their way by clawing or biting the offenders. Just like the black oily tendrils that emptied into the sun moments before, the stream of grisly spirits began to thin out as they tunneled deep into Tsukune's chest. The last of these spirits stopped just before it made its inevitable journey into the boy and looked Moka right in the eyes with its own hollow sockets, hissed angrily, and submerged itself.

When the last of these apparitions entered the corpse, the blackness that covered the sun had finally decided on a single shape; two circles and three vertical slashes. Moka stared intensely at Tsukune's body waiting for something. Nothing happened at first, which seemed odd, but soon Moka spied the corpse's fingers start to twitch ever so slightly. She was ecstatic at first, but found something to be very wrong. The twitching was off; the way the fingers moved seemed alien and experimental, like it was the first time being used, next were the feet, which jumped off the ground for a moment and fell heavily back to the ground. Legs and arm flopped around for a moment or two, but whatever the thing was it quickly got used to them and pushed itself up off the ground. The corpse was badly damaged; muscles sagging out from the torn flesh of its chest, its skin was an off-putting grey color, the mask's sockets were hollow, but the most disturbing quality was the black goo that dripped from the various holes in its body and the stump of a shoulder. It was strange watching this moving corpse attempt to duplicate the most simple of actions, like standing still. The corpse stumbled in a drunken manner, lurching forwards and backwards, at one point the thing jerked itself so forcefully that it literally bent over backwards, head dragging across the dirt.

Both Kuyou and Moka watched the thing trying to get upright again; every abdominal moved individually, popping out and tweaking in the most unnatural of manners. This grotesque display of muscular control continued, they watched as the corpse used its own stomach muscles to stand back up and gripped the face of the mask with its only remaining hand. The sounds that came from the corpse were anything but human; guttural like the quake that they had suffered through just moments before and at the same time high pitched and whiny like air escaping from a balloon, it was like two completely different voices overlaid on one another. The next thing that both fighters noticed was the corpse's forearm swelling at an alarming rate and the flesh wriggled like live snakes were swimming just beneath the skin. More and more the arm swelled to incredible size and eventually sagged, but it did not end there. The corpse doubled over to reveal his swelling back to them.

It happened so fast, Tsukune began to grow again, but this time it was different. His body and muscles expanded once more, but his skin did not. Stretching beyond its limitation his skin turned somewhat translucent, in some areas the skin actually tore itself apart, revealing pulsating muscle tissue. His fingers were no longer like thick sausages, but clawed as were every single toe on his oversized feet. Tsukune's forearm exploded, raining flesh and the strange black gunk all over his body, and in place of skin or muscle tissue there was nothing, but a gauntlet of solid bone. This gauntlet was knotted and gnarled like the bark from an ancient oak tree, thick and stained a faint yellow color. After the gauntlet was revealed hundreds of large, boney spikes erupted from his back. Each of these spikes were as thick as tree roots and just as misshaped; somewhere curved and twisted while some just stuck straight out at weird angles all along his shoulders and now exposed spine. He reached around with his claw to grab the shaft of bone that stuck out of his shoulder and yanked on it hard. The sound it made was disgusting to say the least; every tug produced gallons of black sludge, the noises of cracking bone and every inch he pulled out made a sort of sliding, meaty squelch. The yanking became more chaotic and even less bone slid out, but his sides were absolutely drenched with the black greasy goo. Tired of yanking on the bone this behemoth gripped the bone tightly and pulled on it with all he had and the results were horrifying. Instead of a shaft of bone what came out was a sickening pillar of engorge red muscle.

This sick mockery of an arm was bigger than the other, unhindered by skin, pulsing with a rhythm that matched a heartbeat, and dripped with a mixture of blood and the mysterious sludge. The hand on this monstrosity of an arm was also clawed, but seemed much scary with the lack of flesh and just above that was another gauntlet of bone with a shaft of bone sticking out from it like a tiny blade. At last, it seemed that this transformation was done and before Kuyou or Moka could do or say anything this new horrific form of Tsukune's stared directly at the both of them with the hollow sockets of the mask which suddenly burst back to life and spoke.

_**"My turn!"**_

* * *

(Authors note)

Thank you to all who review and thanks to Scott Pike who Beta-read this chapter. ^(;;;)^

"In Tobi We Trust"


	9. A Thousand Names, Thousand Faces

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

"_For many people, God is just dad with a mask on"_

_Jack Handy_

A Thousand Names, Thousand Faces

Horror, that was the only word that could truly capture the essence of what had become of Tsukune and it was the only word that seemed appropriate to explain what he had turned into. For all intensive purposes Tsukune had died, by the hands of Moka, but managed to return from the land of the dead with a whole new image. He stood tall and proud with an extra two feet added to his already grand stature but that wasn't all that was added to him. What he resembled now was as far from human as you can get while still retaining the same basic form of one. His skin held a slight grayish tinge to it, or at least the patches that were still intact, and was almost transparent from being stretched beyond its physical limitations. Muscles popped out of their fleshy constraints at the most random places on his body from the back of his legs to all over his chest, neck and his entire left arm which pulsated like a beating heart. All of his toes and fingers were clawed, but none had nails to speak of and just above the wrist of each of his clawed hands were gauntlets of twisted bone both were thick and powerful looking. They covered both of his forearms and at each end was a small shaft of bone curved upward like the tip of a scorpion's tail. His entire back had spouted hundreds of massive boney spikes, each as thick and large as tree roots and just as gnarled, sticking out at odd angles spread across his back and along the vertebrate of his protruding spinal column. The last thing that had changed in this radical transformation was the mask itself. No longer was it just attached to his face but now looked like it was fused to his skull, digging into the skin around his face and head.

That was the end of his physical transformation but the more disturbing was the behavioral changes. The way Tsukune moved and acted was completely alien to anyone who had performed the most basic of motor skills for a decade and a half. The best way to describe the way he moved his fingers and hands was exploratory, like he was experimenting with his hands for the first time ever. Next was the arms, flapping and flexing them, seeing how far they would reach or which way they would bend and this bodily experimentation continued going down his body. He stretched his chest and stomach, bent his knees and ended with him wiggling his sharply clawed toes. Not only was it strange watching Tsukune experiment with his body but it was even stranger watching him watch himself. Tsukune's head twitched and tweaked left and right, up and down like an insect and his neck extended and retracted like a turtle's, it was frightening for both Moka and Kuyou to watch this gigantic abomination exploring its mobility for the first time. Kuyou turned his back on the silver-haired vampiress and fully faced the wretched form of Tsukune with a frightened sneer. He was afraid and did not like it. The way he explored his body and touched himself angered the Yoko greatly and the fact that he was afraid only fueled his anger by that much more. Tsukune continued to touch himself, from tracing his clawed hand over his overstretched and severely torn chest to dragging them across his head in a self-preening manner, taking in a deep satisfied breath he sighed in relief.

"_**Fuck it's good to be free!"**_

Cold shivers ran down the spines of all those who heard this cruel and unnatural voice. The tone was cold and booming, like a freezing gust bellowing through the empty tunnels of a deep unfathomable cavern, and fear ran through the souls of those who heard it. Moka felt the instinctual fear that everyone suffered from moments before was justified, there was just something about the way he acted and the sound of the voice that made the animalistic sixth-sense tell her body that what stood in front of her was something tremendously dangerous but more importantly, it was not Tsukune. Unfortunately, Kuyou was only privileged to half that information and still he ignored it by releasing more of his demonic energies. Clouds of white-fire gathered around the youko's legs catching the attention of this Tsukune-esque abomination. Done preening over his ghastly transformation the colossal creature turned to the both of them, the aura around it changing from an arrogant smugness to deadly serious. Each footstep he took shook the ground around him ever so slightly and cracked when his toes penetrated the earth. The body was absolutely still but his head still tweaked like an insect. Exposed muscles glistened wetly in the dim light of the blackened sun that was setting against his back, and for the first time they noticed that the sun had the same horrid face as the mask that covered Tsukune's face. The shadow cast from Tsukune's body was oddly visible even in the low light of the sun and stretched from him and covered both Kuyou and Moka. The jagged boney growths that sprouted from every inch of his back and shoulders cast shadows of their own, distorting his own shadow, widening his already bulky outline. The youko tensed up when the yellow lights fell upon him and actually shook a little when the booming voice rung in the air.

"_**Brats nowadays… ain't got no fuckin' manners."**_

Kuyou tightened his fist and the grotesque giant raised a finger at the fox demon.

"_**A gentleman never turns his back on a lady."**_

Eyes widened Kuyou dropped his fist and spun around to take a school-issued woman's shoe in the face. The heels of his feet kicked up a ton of dirt when he was pushed back by the power of Moka's kick. Time after time he smashed into a tombstone, destroying them entirely, and fell to his knees with one hand on the ground, trying to slow himself down. The serrated edges of the tiny rocks that filtered through his fingers scuffed and scraped his hand raw. The finger marks he left in the dirt went on for yards and continued until a rather thick tree prevented him from going any further. Cheek and ego bruised Kuyou glared at both the giant and the silver-haired vampiress who were staring down each other.

Moka put her leg down carefully, as if not to make any sudden movements, and watched the creature that possessed Tsukune warily. The creature watched her too, the head no longer tweaking; those bright lights that burned deeply within the mask glared evilly into her own, filling her mind with wicked and scary thoughts. Suddenly his hand moved and she unconsciously took a step back. With a type of suave arrogance that looked strange coming from such a grotesque looking creature, he gave what could only be a signal of permission to leave and instead of feeling insulted Moka gladly accepted the excuse to get as far away from it as possible. With her shoes pounding against the ground and wood splinters, running towards the youko, and hurdling over the tombstones that weren't obliterated by Kuyou she heard the creature yell after the both of them.

"_**NOW YOU CRAZY KIDS DON'T DO ANYTHING I WOULDN'T DO HAHAHA!"**_

The laugh the creature gave off sent possible the coldest shiver down Moka's spine that she had, or would, ever feel; It had no inhibitions, no moralities, no sense of decency whatsoever, it was the laughter of the devil himself. Powered by her need to get away from whatever possessed Tsukune's body and her want to destroy Kuyou, Moka charged at him before he had a chance to get up and threw a potent flying kick at his head. Having no time to dodge or catch her attack Kuyou thrust his palm towards her heel in the hopes of deflecting the oncoming kick just in time. An explosion of woody splinters was all that could be seen and a loud crack was all that could be heard. Thick branches were blown off and flew through the air and the base of the tree split right down the center and fell with a harsh quake. The dust and wood shards settled showing, where the tree once stood, Moka with her leg up high and Kuyou grasping her ankle within his glowing grip. The acrid scents of burning flesh, cloth, shoe leather and rubber mixed into the air, Moka grunted in pain but kept her angry ruby eyes locked with Kuyou's soulless ones. His grip tightened around his prize and in response Moka used her remaining foot in a last ditch effort to drop kick him in the chest.

Her attack landed but as a result she fell flat on her back and even after taking the full brunt of her attack Kuyou still held onto her foot. Melted rubber started to drip from her shoes and smoke issued from her skin. Baring her fangs at her captor Moka let out a seemingly endless flurry of kicks at him, all striking him in either the chest or head, propelling the both of them further away from the gruesome giant but still Kuyou did not let go of her. They both skipped across the rough dirt and wood splinters like stones on a pond. Soon it felt like her entire leg was ablaze and Kuyou looked like he was completely unaffected by every weakening kick he received from her. They were slowing down and as the burning sensation traveled up her calf and thigh Moka became more and more desperate to free herself from Kuyou's grip which only squeezed her ankle tighter. The two of them stopped entirely and with this loss of momentum Kuyou finally had the opportunity to rise up from the ground and stand tall on his feet. Moka rose along with him, the burning sensation had managed to travel up to her glutes and the small of her back making Kuyou a literal pain in her ass! The fox demon took one look at her and pulled back his free hand, making it glow with that dangerous red glow again. Knowing what was coming next Moka quickly took this small window of opportunity to attack him with everything she had. She reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, her fingernails digging in, and gave him a wicked knee to his ribs. The both of them heard a nasty crack and for the first time in this entire fight Kuyou showed some sign of pain.

Without meaning to Kuyou let go of his prey and nursed several bruised ribs and Moka quickly jumped as far out of his reach as she could. Moka fell to her knees the moment she landed on her feet and cringed every time she put any kind of weight on her damaged ankle. She examined the damage to her ankle and concluded that it was not good; the skin around her ankle was a deep red color, skin badly blistered, and shaped like Kuyou's hand. Pushing through the pain and rising from the ground, Moka did her best to hide the pain from Kuyou and Kuyou did the same for her. They growled and bared their fangs at each other in a hopeless attempt to intimidate one another but they both knew that they were hurt equally; it boiled down to the question of who could fight through the pain better.

* * *

While Moka and Kuyou were busy fighting and staring each other down the others were just getting over their own individual episodes induced by the crippling fear that infected their minds just minutes before. Yukari and Deshiko were trying to get up from the dirt but their muscles trembled under what little weight they put on them. They both fought off waves of nausea and muscle spasms but managed to sit upright and shake with the chills. As those two were coming around from their mutual sickness, Kinniku and Kurumu were doing the same thing. Kinniku held onto the lump of rock he called his head and groaned like he was suffering from a major hangover, crouched over with his hands on his knees, and wheezed heavily with his head swimming violently in a haze of confusion and drowsiness. Kurumu relaxed her grip on the dirty tombstone that had acted as her safety blanket during this horrifying ordeal. Her head also swam with the same drowsy confusion that afflicted everyone on the school grounds; from her comrades, enemies, those few students and staff that were now stumbling towards the school doors and even the people inside the academy itself. Grabbing the top of the marbled stone Kurumu managed to pull herself over the apex of the curved stone and observe her surroundings. What Kurumu saw with those tired bleary eyes jolted her out of the miasmic turmoil and threw her mind into the cold abyss that was absolute terror.

Standing in the middle of the tomb riddled school grounds was Tsukune and the horror that he had become. Her breath was taken away and eyes widened bigger than ever before as she took in this new form of Tsukune's. His entire back prickled with those sharp boney spikes, some curled others straight but all sticking out at odd angles, traveling along the exposed vertebrae of his spine. Patches of red muscle tissue popped out among the most random of places on his body. Kurumu hid behind the grave while her eyes were transfixed on the giant abomination. The beast turned to survey its surroundings with those evil yellow lights that burned so deeply within the sockets of the bone-white mask that covered his face. It turned, every step shaking the earth to some extent. She bit back a scream when his arm came into view, glistening in the weak light given off by the enveloped sun. The top portion of his right arm that was visible pulsed like a human heart. Next, she noticed that both of his forearms were equipped with identical gauntlets of gnarled bone and just below these ugly implements were fearsome claws unlike anything she had ever seen. Her heart and mind told her that what stood in the center of this battlefield was not the Tsukune that she knew and loved or, as a matter of fact, anything that resembled an actual person! No, what stood there could not be considered a living thing but rather a moving monument for the perverse and those unnameable blasphemies that lurk within the shadows of wicked souls. What stood in place of her beloved Tsukune could not and should not be classified as a mortal being; it was the epitaph for pure evil.

Gripped with fear by the sight of this pillar of muscle and iniquity, Kurumu utterly forgot about the dim-witted golem coming up behind her with an evil look in his dead eyes. Before she knew what was going on, she was assaulted from behind by a large stone fist that punched her through the marbled stone and completely destroyed the tombstone. Yukari noticed Kurumu being sucker punched in the back and Kinniku effectively knocking her out along with several tombstones. When the succubus fell to the ground and did not get back up, the prepubescent witch fought to get back on her feet but before she could stand upright, something hard struck her in the back of the head. Yukari was in a daze, breath shallow and blinking in an extremely slow manner, she fell to her knees then face-planted in the dirt. As the witch fell the zombie girl rose with a tight grip on her weapon. The two lower PSC members were up and about while the girls lay still on the ground, unmoving and silent.

The loud noises the two PSC members made attracted the attentions of the beast. When the sounds of violence and crushing stone reached the creature it became clear how excited it was. Exposed muscles twitched with excitement in the warm air and a jet of blistering cold steam issued from between the slits of the mask. The yellow lights that dwelled deep within the mask's dark sockets burned enthusiastically at the promise of what would be a bloody and violent fight. Watching the two members slowly getting ready to face him, the titan started to loosen up his shoulders and cracked his neck in the most excruciating manner. Next he popped each individual knuckle on his left claw by hooking his thumb over each finger and pushing up against it. After finishing with his left one, he turned to his right and cracked the old-fashion way; slamming his fist into his palm and cracking them as loud as he could. Finishing up his little stretching session the beast slowly started to walk towards both Kinniku and Deshiko. Each step the beastly pillar of evil took towards them, the earth trembled under his feet and because of this he added a bit of swagger to his stride. Unknowingly the giant stepped over the unmoving bodies of Kurumu and Yukari in the most boorish of ways and just kept walking towards his paralyzed prey.

The Golem and zombie-girl stared in shocked horror as it became obviously clear that what walked towards them now was not the same creature as before. With every earth-trembling step his change in sheer power was astounding; deep foot impressions were left in his wake or instead of jumping or moving out of the way, he stepped on every tombstone in his way and crushed them into gravel under his clawed feet, and actually managed uproot some of the smaller trees out of his path with a simple swat of his gigantic arms. As he came closer to them both Deshiko and Kinniku could hear a low but sadistically joyful growl coming from deep within his throat. The closer he came the harder it became for the others to fight the urge to run away and cower under some rock. Unconsciously the both of them began to back away from the advancing monstrosity and when they did, a cold and uncaring cackle came from the beast. Relishing in the terrified reactions on the PSC members face's each time he mashed grave markers under his feet and uprooted the trees with a swipe of his bone-encrusted arms. The beast laughed cruelly as both PSC members watched with terror-filled eyes as the giant stopped no more than ten yards from where they stood and spoke out with a voice that was filled with malice and a hateful condescension that could not be described.

"_**Alright which one of you bitches is going first? It's been a damn near millennia since I last came out to play and I'm afraid I might've gotten rusty..."**_

For the first time these two stopped backing away from giant and actually tried to intimidate him. Kinniku stomped and pounded the ground in a somewhat apish manner, screaming and hollering at the top of his lungs, showing off his stone muscles. Deshiko instead started to show off her frightening skills with the staff in her hands; twirling it between her fingers with extreme speeds and slamming it on the ground, the dirt cracked after every hit. Swinging her weapon in a wild fashion she took out chunks of marbled masonry from the nearby tombstones or punched holes through them with mighty thrusts of her staff. Their display of raw talent and skill would be daunting to even the most powerful of enemies but not the beast, he just stood there with the burning lights in the mask's sockets dimming immensely almost as if he was bored by them and their 'antics'. In response to their show power the disfigured Tsukune lifted his leg about a foot off the ground and let it hang in the air for a little while then brought it down with some force.

The effect was of this simple stomp was impressive to say at least; the earth cracked and fractured under his foot. Gigantic fissures spread from the impact site and reached out to anything within his proximity. Portions of the ground rose over and collapsed under themselves as the fissures grew and tombstones shot into the air like rockets and fell to the ground, shattering on impact. The very earth crumbling under their feet, the PSC member's feet were pulled out from under them and were eventually shot into the air like the very tombstones before them. Kinniku's large body was tossed aside like a rag doll and crashed forcibly into a small group of dead willow trees; neither cushioning his fall and hindering his ability to get back up, the tree's heavy branches covered him entirely. When Deshiko was launched into the skies she was easily able to even out midair and landed on one of the few gravestones that were not rocketed into the air with an abnormal grace and glared at the misshapen colossus with a hateful but frightened look. Deshiko scanned the giant with calculating eyes, examining every twitching muscle that popped out of his skin and the sheer size and width of his body. She finished with her scan and came up with the only conclusion that made any possible sense; he had to be extremely slow.

'_The sheer sizes of those muscles have to slow him down! Just like Kinniku, they're cumbersome and detract from the speed of his movements. If I avoid any direct hits, victory will be mine!'_

The look in the zombie girl's eyes changed from anxious resentment to a calm confidence that was on her face minutes before this horrible transformation occurred. The beast's eyes glowed with anticipation, almost as if it knew what she was thinking and was daring her to go for it. Not liking the idea that her mind was being read or that this ugly creature was even considered on belittling her abilities she tightened the already excessively tight grip on her weapon and braced her body for the strain of the sudden burst of speed it was about to undergo. With everything she had, Deshiko kicked off the tombstone the tombstone she used as a perch, dislodging it out of the ground. The speed she was running at was extreme to say the least; her body moved so fast that the naked eye would not be able to follow her and the sounds of her feet hitting the ground melded together into one continuous pounding noise. Dead trees zipped by her and she bounced off every other tombstone she could in order to add even more speed. The closer Deshiko came to the giant the more obvious it became that he was not going to react in time to stop her; he just stood in that same spot, not moving an inch and those eyes still burned brightly as if he were still in control of the situation. Angry that this behemoth of a creature didn't even have the common decency to be shocked by her extreme burst of sudden speed Deshiko pulled back her staff with the intention of striking this giant with all of the anger, rage and hate that she had built-up for this beast in such a short time. She was right underneath the beast and still it did not notice her presence, tensing her muscles Deshiko was ready to strike with her weapon with everything she had and there was no way that he could react in time. Her staff made the air hum as it cut through the air and was aiming for the back of his unsuspecting head while the giant just stood in that one spot. With this one attack Deshiko was going to cave in his skull, with this one attack she was going to reign supreme. She was going to get him, she was going to win!

The giant stood in that one spot and the staff had stopped a few inches away from the back of his skull. It was impossible for Deshiko to comprehend; she had reached a speed that she had never reached before or ever thought could, swung her staff with everything she had and more but that abomination's clawed hand somehow moved on pure instinct, faster than her and caught her attack in the palm of his hand like it was absolutely nothing; pure child's play. Slowly his deformed head turned to face her and those burning lantern eyes locked with hers. Deshiko's brain screamed at her body, telling her to release the grip she had on her weapon but her fingers would not listen; if anything they might've tightened. In a deliberately slow manner the giant lifted both the weapon and her body higher and higher until she was hanging over his head, dangling at the end of her staff, swinging in the breeze like some sort of strange and perverse wind chime. As Deshiko hung from the end of her staff she kicked with all that her body would allow her but it was like kicking a boulder; no matter how hard or how many times she kicked him in the head it didn't budge an inch. Screaming with rage as she kicked his head, face, and the few boney spikes that protruded from his shoulders and back and she screamed in agony as the tiny bones in her feet fractured after every kick landed on this gigantic brute. Said brute took everything she threw at him with such aplomb that it was scary to watch, he didn't flinch, twitch, or move when she kicked him in the head but took it all and waited for her to run out of steam, which did not take long.

The combination of the primal terror that ran through her veins and the throbbing pain that radiated from her feet finally slowed her down to a complete stop. Sweating, panting and tired, Deshiko hung uselessly from the end of the staff and the creature stared her directly in the face and spoke to her in that low grumbling voice that dripped with the pure poison known as absolute evil.

"_**Well then…that answers my question."**_

Those were the last words Deshiko heard because after he spoke everything that happened next was all brutal action. With no mercy and brutal precision he swung the staff over her shoulder and smashed her on the ground, fracturing her clavicle and cracking all her ribs with her own bo-staff. Before her breath was even knocked out of her body the giant reacted with the speed that defied his stature and raised the thick high into the air. Expertly twirling the staff between the fleshless fingers of the clawed hand, the beast decided to add a little flourish by throwing it into the air like a baton and caught it with ease. After he caught the weapon the giant raised the zombie girl's weapon high into the air, the dim light from the blackened sun bouncing off its polished surface, and without a moment's hesitation he thrust the blunt end down. The instant the staff struck her shoulder Deshiko felt the bones in her shoulder shatter and dislocate but it did not end there. The blunt end of the staff had managed to pierce her shoulder through and through and continued to penetrate the earth behind her. Deshiko screamed as her own weapon passed through the shattered remains of her shoulder and the ground itself. The beast loomed over her with those burning lights staring her in the eyes, laughing as he pushed the girl's own weapon deeper into her, slowly enjoying the screams that she produced. When half of the eight-foot long pole had passed through her, the giant snapped the incredibly thick staff like a toothpick, leaving her staked to the ground. Less than six inches of wood stuck out from her and uselessly her fingers fumbled over the splintered end trying to pull it out of her. Flopping around on the ground like a landed fish Deshiko tried to free herself while the body of the giant above her trembled as he laughed with glee, holding onto the rest of the broken weapon in his hand.

After listening to Deshiko scream for a full minute until he apparently became bored with her and stabbed her in the knee with the remainder of her staff. The bone in her knee shattered like cheap glass and unlike her shoulder before, it gave little resistance and was easily pierced. Like before her own weapon was used to stake her to the ground and retard any movement that might provide any help for her escape or even resistance. Her screams refreshed Deshiko thrust her head up to scream to the skies only to see it eclipsed by the beast's own gigantic arm, arching over his shoulder. His arm hung at the apex of its swing for a few moments, giving Deshiko enough time to drink in the horror of the fleshless arm that hung above her; the visible muscle pulsated like an actual living heart and the parts that weren't was covered by a thick gauntlet of bone. Upon closer inspection the gauntlet was not just one giant piece of bone but looked more like threads intertwining with one another to form thick strands which gnarled themselves together with other cords until they formed the terrifying weapon that was above her. For just a little while longer his arm was pointed straight up, like a stone pillar, but soon it fell along with his entire body. Falling like some giant tree the beast landed on Deshiko; gauntlet, arm, elbow, it all landed on her with such tremendous force that a massive crater formed underneath the both of them.

The both of them lay on the ground but the only one that made any noise was Deshiko herself. She groaned under the massive frame and tried to push him off of her but he did not budge an inch, like a fallen tree the giant laid across her body and did not move. For a while she tried to move the giant off of her with her free arm when a sudden horrible realization hit her. While her staked shoulder and arm throbbed with an unimaginable pain she felt nothing from the waist down; the pain, blood flow, even the cold barren earth itself could no longer be felt anywhere beyond where the grotesque arm lie, she was paralyzed. The moment she came to realize this giant clawed fingers wrapped themselves around her throat. She did not how or when but the giant had risen up from his immovable perch on her stomach and was now crouched over her with his hand squeezing her throat, fingers penetrating her skin, sweat and blood mingling together and beading down her neck. As his giant fingers tightened around her throat the giant shoved his face close to hers, giving her the full view of what she was facing. From afar the mask looked like it was a crisp bleach colored white but up close Deshiko could see every little detail; the mask was not pristine but rather was stained with the subtle shade of advanced age, scratches, nicks and pitting were all over the mask while it exuded a mixed stench of dust and blood. The heavy whistle of air being sucked through the vents of the mask rung loudly in her ears and each exhale showered her entire body with the freezing smog of burning ice.

Her skin froze when the fog touched her skin and her soul was set ablaze when his eyes continued to stare deeply into hers. Deshiko gave up on any attempt of escape and the giant released the grip he had around her throat and rose onto his feet. Standing over her, the beast cracked his neck and brought his arm up to his chest. The girl could only stare upward; the already dimmed light from the sun was eclipsed by his giant body, he held one of his massive gauntlets in his free hand and rubbed it affectionately. Suddenly a long shaft of bone shot out from the tip with a sharp 'shink' and a new form of terror swelled in Deshiko's eyes. This frightening new addition to his already dreadful weapon was horrible to say the least; nearly four feet in length and made of the same material as the gauntlets on his arms, the spikes that grew all over his back and shoulders, and the mask itself. This blade of bone was stained, like the rest of them, with an aged yellow and a fresh bloody red. It was warped along the ridges while the blade itself was scratched and had a dull quality about it but the girl that was staked to the ground between his legs knew better than to believe that for a second. The blade glinted in the weak light of the sun, revealing all of the nicks, whorls, and imperfections present on it. Without a moments notice he jerked the blade as far back as his arm would allow and thrust it like a spear with every intention of splitting her skull apart. The wind whistled as this boney blade flew at her; the very tip of this sword grew in diameter as it came in closer to her, the very air being cut by the bone that was meant to kill her. The sword struck her in-between her eyes but stopped abruptly, just barely breaking the skin of her forehead.

The giant stood over her with his blade pressing right up against the zombie girl's forehead, a single bead of blood trickling down her head and cheek. Deshiko pressed the back of her head against the ground as hard as she could and did not dare to move fearing that even the slightest bit of resistance would cause her ultimate demise. The giant himself no longer had that confident swagger about him but instead his arm quivered and his visible muscles gave off a grinding noise as they tensed and tightened, it looked like he was trying to fight off some invisible force that was stopping him from finishing her off. Grunting and groaning it was clear that the beast was struggling to move; the exposed muscles in his legs and calves seemed to pop out every time he tried to rush forward but his legs would lock up every time, he would try pulling back and thrusting the blade back at her but it would always stop at that one point in-between her eyes each time always drawing a single bead of blood. Becoming increasingly frustrated his attempts became more and more erratic; trying to bludgeon her with the gauntlet on his other arm but only succeeded in smacking her across the cheek, he reached down to choke her like before but it was never enough to break her neck, and once again tried to split her head apart one last time but again it stuck her with the exact same amount of pressure as before. In a desperate last attempt to end her life the giant pressed down on the blade with both arms, using all of his massive body weight to lean the tip of his blade against her head however nothing happened. Even with this tremendous force behind the bone Deshiko felt no more or less pressure on that single spot in the middle of her forehead. Forcing himself down on his sword, hanging off his own arm, the giant groaned and wrestled with himself.

"_**C'mon c'mon c'mon! Just let me…"**_

More and more the beast fought with itself, using his free hand to hammer on his elbow trying to drive the blade into her head like a railroad spike but it did not move one iota further into the zombie girl's skull. Several horrifying seconds passed, each time he attempted to drive the blade into Deshiko's skull said girl would flinch and her terror would multiply tenfold, but soon he gave up on trying to kill the girl and gave out one final worn-out sigh. Clawed fingers combing through what remainder of hair left on his head that wasn't covered up by the mask the creature spoke in a weary and slightly peeved voice.

"_**Tricky little mother-fucker…so you managed to pull a last minute fast one over on me, kudos kid kudos."**_

Finally removing the blade from the middle of the girl's forehead the giant crouched over her like some monstrous predator. Deshiko shivered with fright as the creature loomed over her with those menacing lights burning deeply within the mask's sockets. With one clawed hand the creature reached out and placed it on her cheek and the other traveled down her body. The sensation of a fleshless thumb pawing at her cheek in an almost nurturing manner was almost as disturbing as the thoughts of what the hand was doing below. This time steam billowed out from the vents of the mask, scalding the bare flesh on her face, and a deep predatory growl grew deep within his throat and began to speak in low hushed tones, spewing out more of that burning fog in the girl's face.

"_**Due to unforeseen circumstances I'm afraid we're going to have to cut our little dance short. It's too bad though…I had so many high expectations. Guess I'm gonna have to be happy with this."**_

She didn't truly understand what he meant by being 'happy with this' until he moved himself off her to reveal what he meant to her. Craning her neck off the ground Deshiko's eyes widened when she saw what was happening to her just below. With a singular clawed hand the giant on top of her ripped out thin meaty strips from her bare legs and thighs. These fleshy strips curled into themselves like sick pencil shavings, piling up on each other like pieces of raw bacon but what freaked Deshiko the most was that she didn't realize it until she saw it with her own eyes. By the extent of the damage that her legs had already sustained it became clear that the giant was at this for some time and was clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting from the zombie girl. Claws digging deep into Deshiko's flesh she could hear a light scraping noise and it became obvious that he was attacking her bones. Even while watching all of this happening to her all Deshiko could only obsess on the fact that she should be in an insurmountable amount of pain but felt absolutely nothing; not the pain she should be feeling, not the sharpness of the claws digging into her, not even the cold ground that she laid upon, she could feel absolutely nothing. Fearing for the worst Deshiko fought against every instinct and tried wriggle her leg off the wooden stake but it did not move. Next she desperately tried to use her free leg to kick his claw off of her but just like before it did not respond to any of her mental commands, not even a toe wiggle, and it only confirmed what she feared. Body over-worked and beaten within an inch of her life and her mind over stimulated by the sight of gore and fear everything started to shut down. At first it was her heart, previously beating at an accelerated rate, now pumping slower and slower until it was near non-existent, next it was her muscles releasing whatever tension they had left in them and the last thing to go was her mind, electrical impulses from the brain completely diminished. Eyes rolling into the back of her head Deshiko's head struck the ground one final time. The girl was unconscious and when the giant noticed this he removed his clawed hand from her leg and grabbed her forcefully by the cheek, clawed fingers easily digging into her fleshy cheeks and with the same hushed tone of voice as before he spoke to the unconscious girl with some kind of sadistic glee.

"_**Count yourself lucky, you went up against me and you get to keep your life…"**_

Fingers dug deeper into cheeks, cutting them and drawing more blood from her and with an angry growl shook her head violently and said one last sentence to his unconscious victim.

"_**Consider it the greatest gift you will ever receive!"**_

Releasing the grip he had on Deshiko's face the giant stood upright and easily climbed out of the crater he had created moments before. Stepping out from the crater the giant scanned the area and was immediately treated to the sight of Kinniku finally wrestling his way out from under the weight of the trees that landed on him, giving the giant ample reason to give a self-satisfied chuckle. Unfortunately Kinniku heard the disrespectful laugh and with a sudden burst of rage he pushed all the logs off his body and quickly rose to his feet. Rushing over the golem faced him, several heads taller than the giant, stone lips rising to form a nasty sneer and cracking his knuckles in the palm of his hand. Grumbling with that unpleasant gravelly voice of his Kinniku addressed the beast as disrespectful as he could.

"Don't think for a second that just because you took that weakling down that you're some hot shit, Little Man!"

He emphasized that last bit by poking him in his half-fleshy chest with his stony finger. The giant watched the finger poking at him with slight interest. Once Kinniku believed he made his point he brought his finger up under his nose and wiped it across his upper lip, chuckling idiotically. All the giant did was stare at him with burning eyes aglow, and for some unknown reason Kinniku felt that behind the mask, or even the mask itself, a coy smile was being thrown his way.

"_**God I lov'em big and stupid!"**_

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

Without thinking it through the golem reached out and tried to wring the giant's thick neck with his massive stone hands and immediately regretted it. In a near instant the golem let go of his would be victim and looked down at his granite hands to find them cracked and pitted. Tearing his eyes away from his damaged digits to see exactly what it was that caused all this to him. Jutting out from his neck were hundreds of thick spikes, curled and twisted into odd shapes and sizes, each more dingy and nastier looking than the last. As abruptly as they appeared these horrible spikes retracted back into the thick muscle folds of his neck and the moment they were gone the giant cracked his neck and continued to stare down the golem with those ominous burning lights.

"_**You get five…"**_

Kinniku tore his eyes away from his damaged hand and looked down at the giant with revulsion in his eyes. With disgust and hatred Kinniku spat his words at him along with a fine mist of spittle and sand.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

All over his massive frame and the surface of the mask sand started to clump together, bonded by the golem's spit but he appeared to be completely unaffected by all of this. Without moving an inch or flinching the mask's burning eyes tore through the golem's own hateful gaze and his voice froze his body stiff. With condescension and superiority dripping from his voice the giant spoke to the golem, explaining his previous statement in the most simplistic and insulting manner he could.

"_**I'm going to give you five free hits, anything you like. I want you to go to town on me because after you're done… I'm going to bust your stone ass wide open and work you over like my personal bitch."**_

Rage bursting through his veins Kinniku threw the most vicious punch his body could allow and struck the smaller beast right in the face. Sounds of solid rock smacking against something harder and splitting stone filled the air while both of these titans stood still in the middle of the school grounds; Kinniku standing over the transformed body that once was Tsukune with his gigantic granite fist thrust against his face, cracking and spitting out shards of stone, while the beast stood absolutely still. For several long seconds the two stood there, neither one backing off, but in the end it seemed clear as to who the victor was. Kinniku pulled back his fist from the giant's mask, watching the cracks travel through his hand and up his arm, but the mask itself was undamaged by the brutal assault, no scratches no marks or scuffs. Kinniku fell to his knees and tried to nurse his deteriorating hand while the giant stood over him, shadows dancing across his body and the mask's surface, eyes penetrating the darkness that shrouded him.

"_**That's one."**_

Angry that the smaller behemoth was still mocking him like he was some sort of inferior being and blinded by the throbbing pain in the remainder of his broken hand, Kinniku tried to plunge his unbroken fist into the misshapen beast's gut, a poor attempt at a surprise attack, striking his stomach with everything his slightly weaker arm had. It was a solid hit, hitting him squarely in the stomach, the power that radiated from that single punch traversed through the behemoths body and traveled downward into the ground, vibrating the earth beneath them both and kicking up a cloud of dust. The dirt cloud covered both combatants momentarily but quickly settled around the two. Kinniku still had his pressed against the belly of the beast and in a quick moment of terror, looked up to find that the burning lights that filled the mask's hollow sockets were now extinguished. Jubilant after seeing what his attack had done, he withdrew his fist and shakily stood back onto his feet. Standing tall and proud Kinniku curled his finger and brought it as close to the mask's surface as possible without touching it and was ready to flick him in the head when his eyes burst back to life. Kinniku stumbled backwards in fright and quelled the urge to run when the deep menacing tones of the giant graced the empty holes on the side of his head that acted as the golem's ears.

"_**Two…"**_

Kinniku was no longer fueled by the rage of having his pride attacked but was now powered by panic; panic blossoming from the sudden knowledge of having delivered two insanely powerful attacks and neither one of them seemed to have any effect on the beast that stood in front of him. Out of desperation and with a surprising display of dexterity and agility Kinniku used his good hand to hook around the back of the giant's head and jumped into the air, giving two quick, but powerful, knee attacks to the giant's protected face. It was just as useless as before, the golem kneed the giant in the face and just when he was supposed to land on his feet victoriously, instead he fell onto his back, sporting two identical wounds on his knees; the facial outlining of the mask itself. Moaning in agony Kinniku could clearly hear the giant's voice overpowering his cries of anguish.

"_**Three, four ya got one more!"**_

The golem rolled around on his back holding his shins and knees in pain. Fighting through the pain Kinniku saw through tear-filled eyes the grotesque giant standing over him, still showing no signs of pain or even the slightest amount of discomfort from that last attack, staring down and waiting for him to get up from the ground. Angry, scared and desperate to win Kinniku fought to get up, struggling when he pushed himself onto his knees but he continued to rise up to his feet. The giant, with his head cocked slightly in interest, watched the stone creature climb off of the ground and eventually stand up; taller than before and haggard beyond belief. Slowly and with great difficulty Kinniku lifted both of his arms, the damaged and the pristine, over his head and glaring down at the smaller giant below he could the corrosive voice fill his head.

"_**Make it count."**_

Roaring with rage the golem momentarily reached up towards the sky and brought down his fists like giant sledgehammers over the grotesque giant's head and shoulders. The sight was gruesome in itself; pillars of heavy stone falling on top of the giant, the many stained spikes that erupted from his body started to bend under the stony fists, and the sounds of something cracking could easily be heard. An explosive cloud dust kicked-up around both fighters, the smaller giant could be seen sinking several inches into the ground and the larger stone giant could be seen smiling for a moment until what he thought was impossible came to be. Kinniku watched in horror as his powerful arms of granite shattered like cheap glass and the shards ricocheted all over. From the very tips of his fingers right up to his elbows cracks spread across his arms like spider webs and before he knew what was happening his arm disintegrated into shards and dust. His pride and joy, the symbols of his strength, crumbled to dust before his eyes.

"_**THAT'S FIVE MOTHER FUCKER!"**_

The moment Kinniku's brain registered what was said he could feel something hard rocketing upward, against the bottom of his chin. He was launched several feet in the air and for a split second Kinniku could see the giant below him thrusting his fist up against him, delivering the wicked and powerful uppercut that the golem ever had or will experience in his short life. The golem was barely three feet off the ground and before he could try to defend himself or even cry out in pain he could feel something powerful wrap around the top of his skull. Instead of flying through the air he could feel himself being pulled through the air, making a complete arc, and was forcibly smashed into the ground. Wind knocked out of him and slightly dazed, Kinniku could vaguely make out what appeared to be a hand holding onto his head with a deadly grip. His vision began to focus out of the blurry haze and he could easily see every little detail about the giant that held onto his head; the spikes that he thought he had destroyed in his last attack were undamaged and were returning back to their original positions, his body was unmarked, and his eyes burned with a hunger that could not be sated by normal means.

Suddenly he could feel the giant's fingers penetrating the stony layer of his head and the sensation of being pulled towards the creature. Instinctively Kinniku tried to claw at the ground beneath him and pull himself away from the beast but too late did he realize that those god given tools were cruelly taken away from him moments before. His stubs flailed across the ground, swishing the dirt that he was dragged on, the giant laughing as he watched the golem struggling to get away from him in vain and silently screaming when he saw the mask's eyes flash with the anticipation of what he was going to do to him. All of a sudden Kinniku was lifted off the ground and over the creature's shoulders, hovering in the air for several seconds, one hand grasping his skull and the other in between his legs, piercing the rocky outer shell that was his crotch. He felt vulnerable as he was held in that disorienting no-man's land, between the earth and sky, for the first time in his life he was powerless as this terrible titan held him like some hapless babe. With savage force the beast swung his prey down from the sky and brought him down onto his knee, impaling him in the back, the only thing stopping him from snapping him in completely in half was his stone body protecting him, if it weren't for this granite body of his Kinniku would have most defiantly been ripped apart. Stone cracking was drowned out by the painful gurgling noises that spewed from the golem's mouth and the sight of him being bent in half would have been awful to anyone unfortunate enough to see it. This once proud warrior, once considered to be the most physically intimidating member of the Public Safety Commission, had fallen by the hands of the monstrosity that had formed from the corpse of a human child. The giant bent the golem over his knee further while listening to the gurgles that issued from his mouth like it was the singing of angels itself. With every inch that he bent the golem the louder the pained gurgles became and the happier the giant seemed to become so he would try to bend him over his knee even harder; it had become a vicious cycle that would be considered too inhumane for anybody to watch. Eventually it came to the point that if he were to bend Kinniku any further even his tough body would break from the pressure but just like before when he tried to take him past the breaking point some invisible force stopped him from taking it any further. Clearly struggling against whatever it was that was stopping him but instead of fighting it he quickly gave up and simply tossed his victim like he was nothing but trash.

It was an awesome sight, the golem flipping through the air like a coin and crashing into the ground with a mighty thwack. After he heard the golem fall, he turned around to survey his handy work; the sounds of pained moaning emanating from the pit that contained the staked body of Deshiko and the gurgling noises that came from Kinniku's mouth signaling that he was still alive. Listening to these noises of the pain he had caused he hung his head low as if he was ashamed or disappointed in something and with a childish kick in the dirt.

"_**I guess it'll do…"**_

As he stood there in that one spot he suddenly felt something soft brushing up against the rough and overly stretched skin on his leg, grabbing his immediate attention. Looking down the giant could see the bedraggled form of Kurumu clawing at him with eyes filled with tears and a deep sense of terror. Her giant lavender eyes swelled with fear and what appeared to be some semblance of hope hidden deeply behind these orbs and her weak voice mewled pitifully as she bravely stared at the mask.

"Tsukune-kun…"

The giant crouched down, his massive body looming over the tiny succubus, the mask just inches away from her face. She could feel the hot air passing through the vents of the mask and blow across her naked skin. Staring straight into the mask's burning eyes every muscle in her body locked up in fear and her mind slowly burned with a maddening terror as she could only gaze deeper into the eyes of what her soul told her was the face of pure evil.

"_**Who?"**_

Those were the last words Kurumu heard because at that moment her brain could no longer take the strain of staring into the mask and in order to protect her from succumbing to the absolute madness that radiated from its eyes the girl fainted and fell to the ground with a soft thump. An aggravated groan escaped the giant and he rose from his crouched position, joints popping for a few moments, and with a surprising amount of gentleness he shook her off his leg and stepped over her body. He walked away from the scene of destruction and when he deemed himself far away enough he wiped his hands in a mocking fashion than rested his hands on his sides and let out a hearty sigh of accomplishment.

"_**Well that's done so what to do, what to do…that looks promising!"**_

From where he stood the giant gazed across the school grounds, past the sea of tombstones, trees, sawdust and decaying body parts he could see both the silver haired vampiress and the white haired Youko still fighting one another. Moka was throwing punches and kicking at every area that she could reach but every attack was diverted from their target by a simple defensive palm thrust from Kuyou flaming hands. Each time that Kuyou touched Moka's flesh, burn marks would appear where he had touched her. It soon became clear that despite the harder she tried to hit him Kuyou was obviously dominating her with his skill and absolute force. Sweat pouring from her every pore Moka tensed every muscle in her right leg and with everything she had she released it into a single all-out kick aimed for his bruised ribs. This was a last ditched attack, faster and more powerful than any other kick she'd ever performed before, but just like the attacks before it was countered with such ease that it was almost insulting. Kuyou swiftly took hold of her ankle and using the momentum of Moka's kick he swung both his and her body, swinging the girl around like a sack of potatoes, and threw her like a discus.

Moka was flying through the air spinning and flipping uncontrollably, her hair whipped around her body, arms, and legs twisting in the wind almost as if she were a rag doll. She tried to stop herself but her body was weak from the loss of blood and the severe beating she suffered from the hands of Kuyou, Moka was lucky to even be conscious. Flying through the air she could make out the blurry outlines of every dead tree that she passed by and the stony embrace of every tombstone she crashed into but even that did not slow her down. The farther she was thrown the less likely it became that she was going to stop until something snatched her out of the sky. She did not know what it was that stopped her but whatever it was that stopped her did it with such force that she was stricken with such a wicked case of whiplash that in the back of her mind she was amazed that her neck did not break from the force. A few moments passed after she was caught and while her eyesight was still blurry she could feel that whatever it was that grabbed her was big and powerful; she could feel giant powerful fingers wrapping themselves around her lithe body, her exposed flesh could feel several slimy somethings pulsating against her stomach, and a slight breeze going through her hair as she was being moved to face what she could make out to be two burning yellow lights that burned through the blurriness.

"_**Now, now kitten time for us men to fight."**_

Despite her eyesight severely blurry and unfocused and her body heavily damaged Moka managed to bring up the power to take in a deep breath through the nose and let loose the most un-lady like ball of phlegm that she could summon and hocked it towards the lights and the voice. She could hear a low grumbling and immediately her eyes began to refocus. She was met with the sight of massive pulsing muscle, thick spikes of what she could only imagine was bone sticking out of his back and shoulders, and finally she was staring straight into that bone-white mask and it was staring right back at her. Despite facing the terror that Tsukune had become all she could see was that glob of mucous, spit, and blood that rested a few inches below his right eye. That low grumbling she heard before was clearly the thing growling at her and the slimy somethings were the fingers of the fleshless hand that was holding her tightly. For a moment it seemed like he was trying to crush her within his grasp but the grasp around her never tightened. Moka stared at the mask and suppressed the urge to gasp when she saw the glob of spit she spat at him begin to move on its own accord; slithering towards the mask's glowing socket, leaving a visible trail of mucous and blood in its wake, reaching the glowing socket and burrowing itself deep into the light. Moka watched in disgust as her glob of mixed phlegm was sucked into the mask's eye and the minute it was gone she could hear the monster in front of her growling.

"_**Mmm, mmm, good."**_

Before she could gag in disgust the giant released the grip he had on her and dropped her to the ground without giving it a second thought. The colossus stepped over the weakened vampiress and actually whistled something that might be considered a happy tune of sorts which infuriated Moka more than anything. Watching the spiked abomination walk away from her like she was nothing more than some after thought she clawed at the dirt and proceeded to drag herself across the ground after him with rage and determination burning in her eyes.

The beast continued to walk away from her, unaware that he was being pursued by the girl herself, heading towards Kuyou, whose body burned brighter in anticipation for the arrival of the beastly giant. Moka crawled over rocks, tree roots, splinters of wood, and sometimes the unfortunate piece of decayed flesh. The giant in front of her crushed whatever tombstones that lay in front of him were crushed under his immense feet leaving nothing but rubble in his wake. It soon became clear to her that no matter how hard she tried, without the use of her legs Moka was never going to catch up with the gruesome monstrosity. Reaching out to one of the few graves that were not destroyed by the destructive behemoth Moka watched as he continued to make his way towards Kuyou and couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Tsukune and as to what this thing was that was walking away from her when she suddenly felt something grab her by the ankle. Out of sheer instinct she pulled her leg out from this mystery grasp and kicked towards the unknown person grabbing at her leg.

"Moka?"

Almost at once she recognized the voice and at the last second steered her kick to the left, barely missing the tiny head of Yukari, and reduced a nearby tombstone to sheer rubble. Ignoring the damage her kick caused Moka stared at the tiny witch who was pawing at her leg, trying to grab and drag her away from whatever danger they might be in, with Kurumu and Gin propped up against a tree several yards away from them both unconscious and severely bruised. Moka listened to the rhythmic pounding of the giant ahead of her, his feet causing the ground to quake after every step, and even with her being so far away she could feel the heat from Kuyou's body prickling against her skin. Though she was enthralled with watching the beast walk towards the glowing Youko with a combination of anger from her ego being bruised by both Kuyou and whatever Tsukune had turned into she could feel Yukari clawing at her ankle, trying to pull her away from this spectacle and towards where Gin and Kurumu's unconscious forms were gathered. Knowing that the tiny witch was most likely right to take all of them as far away from this upcoming fight she followed the prepubescent witch, wriggling her body around and crawling towards the base of the tree that their friends rested against. Both of the girls crawled along the ground feeling the ground shake from the titans behind them and the heat that filled the air. While the two crawled on the ground Moka could her Yukari huff and wheeze as she pulled herself towards the tree. Suddenly Yukari stopped crawling and turned her head over her shoulder and stared Moka in the face with big tear-filled eyes.

"What happened to Tsukune-kun, Moka-chan?"

The vampiress could only stare at the little witch, the sounds of cheap granite being destroyed in the background, and with a silent and surprisingly out of character whisper, she said.

"**I don't know…"**

The two continued to crawl on their stomachs, trying to avoid any rotted bits of flesh and keeping cover behind tombstones, they eventually made it to the tree and hunched themselves low within the roots. The other two were both laid against the base of the tree; Kurumu was bruised ever so slightly, arms, legs, and face riddled with tiny marks and cuts but Gin was worse for wear, body covered in black bruises and red shiny burns, his once beautiful hair was singed short, and the silver chain from his necklace leaving a faint chain pattern along his neck with the wolf's head lightly warped from the heat. Yukari quickly tried to hide these two within the tree roots like she was while Moka pulled herself up to examine what was happening between Kuyou and the giant anathema that Tsukune had become.

The spiked monster was making his way to where Kuyou stood, crushing tombstones under his feet and pushing away any trees that might've been in his way the giant made his way closer to the glowing orb of flame that was Kuyou. It soon became clear that the heat exerted from Kuyou's body was extraordinary to say the least. The stones around the immediate area began to glow red like hot coals and the surrounding trees suddenly caught fire. The scent of burning flesh and the sudden appearance of sparks occasionally dancing off the mask and exposed juts of bone but the beast himself did not seem to care as he continued to walk towards the burning orb with an unencumbered gait. Seeing that this was not having the intended effect he wanted on his incoming opponent Kuyou extinguished the external blaze around his body and glowed with a phosphorescent white while waiting for this giant to come closer. Minus the slightly bruised ribs Kuyou was nearly pristine and with a nearly fluid-like movement of his hands he summoned another miniature blue sun within the palm of his hand. For the first time the giant stopped and stared at him with curious burning eyes.

Kuyou stood with the blue fireball revolving slowly in the middle of his palm and stared at the monstrosity in front of him with an elitist sneer and spoke with his usual tone of superiority.

"I don't know what you are or how you were able to defeat my subordinates but please do not think for a second that just because you are…'puffed up' like some animal that I will be intimidated by such pitiful tactics."

"_**Oooh 'Puffed up'? Them's is fightin' wurds, Boy!"**_

Even after hearing the beast talk to him with such an offensive and somewhat threatening accent Kuyou let out a tiny chuckle and smiled a toothy grin, exposing his fangs to the giant, and pulled back his arm. The blue fireball revolved in his hand as he pulled it further back readying to 'fire' so to speak but the beast in front of him did not even flinch. Taking his unresponsiveness as both fear and hubris on the giant's part Kuyou flung the fiery sphere at the his oversized target; watching it zigzag through the air, heading towards the giant, a mad glint present in his eye, the air rippling from the heat coming off the object, the roaring sounds the flaming ball made deafening, Kuyou's face showed an emotion that could be described as near fanatical when the fireball was too close to be dodged by anyone. It hit him dead on in the face and the moment it did the beast was engulfed in an explosion of an immense magnitude. Covered in blue flames the entire area around the giant was devoured by these raging fires, tombstones cracked and crumbled from the inferno-like heat, trees were reduced to carbon ash, ground charred beyond belief, and a pillar of electric blue flames rose up and split the skies above him; the sight was as beautiful as it was horrifying.

Kuyou finally calmed down when the blue flames swallowed up the walking eyesore with a merciless fury. He watched the fires danced with a passion that could only be rightfully described as fiery, spewing out white-hot sparks and throwing out dark blue embers, the movement was hypnotic and for an egomaniacal pyromaniac like Kuyou it was the most beautiful and calming sight in the world until he witnessed something that he never thought was possible. The flames parted ways to reveal the giant still standing, unharmed and unmarked, his head cocked lightly to the side as if he were amused by this 'devastating' attack. Kuyou watched as the electric-blue flames receded back into nothingness leaving only piles of ash and smoldering pieces of stone as evidence that it once existed. The youko's mouth actually gaped slightly when he saw that the fires had done absolutely no damaged to his enemy. At first Kuyou was stunned silent but his normal robotic composure returned to him and spoke with a cautious yet condescending tone of voice.

"Just what are you I wonder?"

It was then his overly developed fox ears could hear a low grumbling that was the beast chuckling at his question. Raising his hand the giant scratch at the chin of the mask with one of his many clawed fingers, kicking up sparks, and answered Kuyou's question with such a patronizing tone that it was almost equivalent to Kuyou's own natural tone of voice.

"_**That is an excellent question but I'm afraid that your mind just couldn't comp-"**_

Suddenly with lightening fast movement, his hand whipped away from the mask and caught something out of midair. From within his clawed hand he held a ball of electric-blue fire, revolving between his fingers and spitting out spurts of white-hot flames. Kuyou was stuck in throwing form; hunched over, arm outstretched, back leg up and an expression of absolute shock when he saw that his attack was being held in the beast's clawed hand like some common object. With an amazing feat of strength and intimidation the giant squeezed the fireball in his hand until it was crushed out of existence. Nothing but billowing black smoke leaked from between his fingers and released a black cloud when he opened his fist.

"_**Quit throwing your balls at my face buddy."**_

Kuyou composed himself and ran towards the giant his fists burning with that same phosphorescent white glow that his body took moments before. The giant stood in his spot, egging on Kuyou by studying his fingers with mild curiosity and polishing them by rubbing them against his half skinned chest. Kuyou could not hold back his rage while being disrespected in such a blatant manner that he shot out spheres of fiery death from his fists like bullets. Without turning his attention away from his clawed fingers the giant swatted away every single fireball with the bone gauntlet on his free arm. It didn't matter how fast or how many fireballs were thrown his way because he bashed away each and every fireball with his club-like arm. The speed and agility that this giant performed with was amazing to say the least and with each successful deflection, the fireballs would careen off in the most random directions, exploding far away from their intended targets, sending pillars of electric-blue fire straight into the air. Anger overpowering the rest of his senses Kuyou pulled back both of his hands over his head and channeled all the heat that his body was exerting straight into his fists, making them burn brighter than his body ever did, and released a beam of white death from the palms of his hands.

Fired from his hands the beam rampaged its way towards the beast, the speed and force exerted from this attack was enough to blow away any trees or tombstones in its path and appear as only a mere flash of light to the many onlookers from behind the tree or even those masses that hid behind the rattling windows of the Academy building. Finally, turning away from his clawed hand the giant's eyes flashed and with a sweep of his hand, he stopped it with ease. This ray of white light crashed against his hand and instead of exploding or piercing his hand it burst in a near liquid-like fashion. This beam of plasma bubbled against the wide berth of his clawed hand, gushed through his fingers, trickled down his arm, and dripped from his elbow. This liquid heat fell to the ground leaving holes in the dirt and the stench it gave off was indescribable but the giant did not cringe or shy away not even for a moment. Kuyou stopped his blind charge and watched as his attack splashed against this disfigured wall of muscle and bone, his eyes watered from blinding brilliance and his nose filled with this remarkable stench, choking off his lungs, but he stayed where he was and watched with an intense sense of morbid curiosity. Before long the light from the ray of light dimmed and the flow diminished until there was nothing left. All around the giant the ground smoke un-relentlessly and anything that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the attack's crosshairs was now reduced to indistinguishable piles of curled rubbish but what was truly amazing was the fact that the giant was completely unscathed by Kuyou's last attack.

Kuyou could not believe that the giant stood there in front of him, completely unscathed, slowly lowering his hand, and speaking as though nothing had happened.

"_**If you're interested in knowing who I am I'd be more than happy to oblige."**_

All of a sudden, the giant lunged at the youko with his fist raised over his head. Kuyou, reacting out of pure instinct, leaped out of the way just before the gargantuan fist hit the ground. Easily his fist sunk several feet into the dirt until chunks of earth blew out a crater that was half his own size. Kuyou watched as the spiked behemoth withdrew his fist from the crater he created, tiny flecks of stone falling from his fist. The giant stared at the crater he made then turned to his fist and let out what sounded like a disappointed sigh. Turning his attention to Kuyou, he spoke in an old world tone of voice, exuding authority and a somewhat biblical sense of doom, and the youko could only listen.

"_**Mankind has known me since the beginning and yet never aware of my existence. Handing me a thousand names, titles, and accolades each believing me to be another but always their primitive minds understood my nature."**_

Again, the behemoth lunged after the youko and again Kuyou reacted out of sheer instinct; ducking under a heavy arm swing and flipping out way of another 'megaton' punch with blew away several large tombstones, reducing them to smithereens. While flipping through the air Kuyou felt sharp pieces of tombstone dig right into his back but he landed on his feet and tried to pull out as many as he could while the beast continued to talk.

"_**I am Ankou, Nergal, and Mictlantecuhtli…"**_

Kuyou tried to turn the tables by going on the offensive again; charging at the giant while fire off as many fireballs as he could while strafing at the same time as to minimize the chance of being hit by any attacks. The giant on the other hand no longer seemed interested in attacking Kuyou or even in defending against his attacks as each attack that hit him washed over his body with flames. After every hit the giant would take a step forward and for every step he took Kuyou would back off even further, always trying to keep as much space between them as possible. The giant ignored every attack and walked through whatever obstacle that may have been in his way, almost like he was in a trance, and more he spoke in that same tone of dread like he was speaking from a place beyond all known time and space.

"_**In the countless eons that I have trod this earth I was known as; Mot, Keres, Ogbunabali, Hine-nui-te-po, and Morana."**_

Kuyou's movements became more and more frenzied with each passing moment; his attacks becoming more ruthless and aimed right for the beast's head, no longer bothering to strafe backing up and only stopping to jump over anything that was too big to step over. The giant was still advancing on him but he no longer spoke with that eldritch voice anymore. For the first time the giant stopped advancing for a moment then rushed after the youko at more than impressive speeds, the spikes on his back growing and curling in anticipation, and screaming in excitement.

"_**Dullahan is what they called me, Santa Muerte, Erlik and Loki!"**_

Within seconds the giant had closed the gap between him and Kuyou and reached out to grab him by the head. Kuyou managed to dodge the giant giant's hand but he could feel the back blow of splinters from the tree that took the brunt of this forceful blow. Despite being so close to this oversized abomination Kuyou did not run away but rather gathered as much heat energy into his fists as fast as he could and delivered a quick bout of powerful jabs to his ribs. Even with Kuyou's power and strength it was like punching a brick wall; the rib bones that did poke through the muscle and skin did not budge under the youko's ferocious attack, the tiny bones in the demon's hand started to crack and break but he kept at it until he was swatted away by one of the giant's arms, launching him into the air. Kuyou fell to the earth with a nasty thud and skid across the ground like a stone thrown across a lake's surface. He slowed himself down by plunging his fingers deep into the dirt and used them as makeshift anchors until he stopped with a violent tug on his arm. Despite hearing the sickening pop from his shoulder Kuyou still managed to pull himself up from the ground and turn to face the beast ahead of him.

He could see the giant revving himself up; kicking up dirt like some psychotic ram, blowing out steam from the vents of the mask, flexing every muscle in his upper body, and finally the spikes that grew out of his back twitching with excitement. Kuyou stood there frozen for a moment until the giant began his stampede. The earth rumbled under his feet and he destroyed whatever was in his path. The way that the giant ran was all wrong; he ran zigzagged and apparently mindless but he was heading right for Kuyou, the lights within the mask burning with a consciousness that did not belong. Kuyou tried to stop him by throwing even more fireballs like before and like before they did not even faze this raging behemoth. The flames rolled over his body with ease, leaving no marks or wounds of any kind, and were quickly extinguished. At this point, the youko began to retreat as fast as he could, already at a full sprint, leaping over any stones or fallen trees, his dislocated arm bruising and slapping at his side but he knew that the giant behind him was closing in fast. Thinking on his feet Kuyou quickly darted to the left and ran towards the nearest tree. This particular tree that Kuyou was running towards being thicker and bigger than most; its roots reaching out from the ground, the dead branches spreading across the darkened skies and its bark was thick and gnarled, it was perfect for what Kuyou wanted to do.

With almost animalistic agility he ran straight towards the tree, the beast clearly behind him, and managed to run up its trunk and kicked off as hard as his tired legs could. He managed to jump over the main bulk of the beast below him but that was not the worst part. To Kuyou time seemed to slow down in mid-flip allowing him to watch everything in slow motion; the giant was running on three's with one clawed reaching out trying to pluck him out of the sky, roaring like some wild beast, and those burning eyes staring straight into his own glowing with an intelligence perhaps greater than he or anyone had ever known, for the first time in Kuyou's life he felt the gut-wrenching pain that was true terror! This feeling did not last long when his jaw was struck by one of the many thick boney spikes that grew from the giant's back, successfully dislocating his jaw, and was blown away from the force of the giant ramming himself bodily into the tree. Despite its thickness and how deeply embedded it was in the ground the tree was toppled to the ground, split down the middle, and released an explosive cloud of wooden splinters, thick chunks of bark, and dust. Kuyou fell on his back but swiftly rolled back onto his feet in a crouching position and used his free arm to grab onto his already bruising jaw and yanked it until he heard a sickening pop, relocating it back in the quickest and most painful way possible and next he grabbed his arm the same way and stomped on his hand and pulled until the same thing happened again, relocating it in the most painful but quickest way possible. Not even a second had passed when he heard the sounds of thick branches snapping and heavy footfalls shaking the very ground. Kuyou ignored the pain and looked up to find the giant standing there unharmed and unaffected by Kuyou's or even his own attacks on his body. At first Kuyou tried to run but fumbled momentarily and suddenly felt an iron grip wrap around his chest and waist, tightening and pulling him towards the mask. Even he could feel the mask's hot air against his skin and the low grumble of his voice reverberated in his ears.

"_**In Haiti they knew me as Baron Samedi and Papa Ghede and in the depraved Kothoga tribes of South America I am Mbwun The Devil God."**_

After every word Kuyou felt those fingers around him tightening. Every time he exhaled, like anacondas, these clawed appendages would tighten no matter how hard he struggled. Soon he stopped trying to pry himself from his grip when it became clear that he couldn't and instead raised the heat from his body until his own body actually caught fire. What Kuyou had become was a living fireball, spitting out yellow and orange embers, but the giant held onto this fireball like it was nothing.

"_**I am conflict, I am famine, and I am genocide. I was written as the Pale Horse and that my beginning will signify the end. I am what once was and what shall be again!"**_

The beast started to shake his victim violently and squeezed him tighter. Kuyou continued to burn hotter and hotter with each passing second but it did not seem to work at all. Soon he felt his bones started to creak and pop from the monstrous pressure. Pulling him in closer the mask was soon engulfed in the flames of Kuyou's body, coming face to face with Kuyou himself, and stared him down with those unholy lights, burning hotter than the flames that swallow the rest of his face.

"_**Mortal kind could only trace the jagged silhouette of the shadow I cast across this pathetic world but now they shall see me for my true glory… all thanks to you."**_

Before Kuyou could say or do anything the giant thrust back his arm, gave one last squeeze which effectively broke almost every rib in his body, and threw the youko like some sort of flaming baseball. Like a shooting star the youko flew through the darkened skies leaving only but a few flaming wisps from his fiery tails. He was a ballistic; shooting through the skies, hitting only the tops of the highest trees, setting them ablaze, showing no signs of slowing down. Kuyou was helpless as he felt the sting from the cold air rushing pass him as he continued in flight, felt the scratches of any branches that struck him or any of the bits of stone and bark that were lodged into his back that hadn't burned up dislodging from his person. He rolled and flipped uncontrollably in midair until he smacked into several stone gargoyles and was caught in the metal railing that surrounded the rooftops of the academy's main building.

It was nearly a hundred yards away and yet the beast stood there watching his flaming living projectile heading towards the academy's main building and eventually crashing into the roof with such tremendous force that he blew out every window on the top floor, raining shards of glass along the empty school grounds. Despite the evil shadows covering the sun, allowing only the most minimal amount of light escape the eyes and vents, the giant could see everything clearly and laughed when he heard the screams coming out from the building. He cupped his hand to the side of his head and listened to the terrified screams as if it were the most lyrical and angelic form of music he had ever heard. Twisted sighs of pleasure escaped from the vents of the mask and for a moment he shivered with pleasure; the sounds of screams and others trampling over each other in an attempt to escape to some non-existent corner of safety, the general vibe of mass terror gave the beast goose bumps. With the sounds of air being sucked through the vents of the mask and the same predatory growl that he was giving off during the entire fight he spoke aloud to himself.

"_**AHHHH… Fear, Confusion, Panic… Fuck how I love it!"**_

The giant ran towards the academy building, his thick legs making powerful strides, the air whistling past him as he rushed after Kuyou. Feeling the earth crack under his feet and anything that was unfortunate enough to be caught under him was crushed into a fine dust; the giant tensed his legs and leaped for the building. With this single bound the beast traversed hundreds of yards through the air, crashing into the tops of trees like Kuyou did but unlike him his dense body simply smashed its way through the thick of the branches until he smacked against the side of the academy building. The moment he struck the wall the beast quickly dug his clawed hands and toes into the cement and brick walls, securing his place against the building, and began scaling the wall. It was an amazing feat of strength to those who watched him climb and terrifying for those who did not know what was happening; he was able to pull himself up with the utmost ease, each time he pulled out his hand or foot out from their hold it would also take out chunks of masonry and brick. When he was pulling himself up his body moved in an eerily insect-manner, reaching out as far as his limbs would let him, and when a statue blocked his path or when he was met with a ledge that prevented him from going any higher his movements suddenly became apish, showing the same dexterity and agility as a mountain gorilla, and swing from windowsill to windowsill until he found a place where he could continue his ascent.

* * *

(Inside the Academy)

Inside the academy it was pure pandemonium; students and staff alike were clamoring over one another in fear, trampling those who were unfortunate enough to fall to the ground, rushing up and down flights of stairs in a disorganized attempt to hide from whatever it was that was happening outside. It was complete and utter chaos. During the beginning everybody had crowded around every window that they could find, some with their noses pressed like children during Christmas, but as the fight progressed it became clearer and clearer to them that what was happening was worse than they first believed and when Kuyou crashed onto the roof it set everybody off. As soon as the explosion of window glass went off so did everybody else; the sheer level of panic was startling and when the transformed Tsukune smashed himself against the side of the building it all went to hell. No longer was the population of Youkai Academy the coherent and intelligent people they once were but now they were reduced to a bunch of panicky and violent animals, rushing to some sort of safe haven that they knew did not exist. The building quaked, shaking loose debris and dust from the ceiling, which fell on the heads of some poor students, fueling their fear and paranoia. Within the multitudes of the screaming masses there were but a few he tried to keep the peace and were failing miserably. Out of these few individuals who tried so vehemently to calm down the rampaging masses was Shizuka Nekonome. Even though her cat ears were out she still maintained a better form than most; the halls were filled with screams and squawks, scales and feathers, tentacles and claws. Shizuka was trapped on a flight of stairs between the fourth and fifth floors while her body was squished by the students and staff that tried to go up and down that flight of stairs at the same time. The poor teacher tried to scream over the crowd telling them to calm down but she was drowned out by their panicky screams. Very little light leaked through the windows so the only light that they had to rely on came from hanging fixtures that flickered and swung dangerously, giving off so little light that it added to the atmosphere of dread and doom.

"PLEASE EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!"

The poor woman's pleas were drowned out by the cries of the disturbed masses. Each time they felt the giant climb or swing on the building it would shake causing the already panicked people to feel like the building was ready to collapse around them. Squished between a petite blonde student and a rather portly and balding science teacher the unfortunate neko-girl could almost swear that the quakes were coming closer. It soon became too much for the poor teacher and found that the only thing she could do was stop trying to scream over the mindless populace and decided to save as much breath as she could and hope that something would stop her from being trampled to death.

Just when all hope seemed to be lost, just when it seemed that this was going to be the end for Shizuka Nekonome, the quaking stopped and so did the herds of frantic peoples. Shizuka had crouched into a ball in a primal way to protect herself from being trampled but when she realized that everyone and everything stopped she slowly un-curled and rose. Nobody knew what was happening outside and from the sounds coming from the other areas of the academy there were still people panicking and rushing to safety but everyone on this particular flight of stairs were frozen stiff with that same viral fear that all had felt minutes earlier. Shizuka felt that instinctual fear but for her it was nowhere as paralyzing as before. With the curiosity that was inherent in her personality, she examined her surroundings and saw that nearly everybody on the stairwell was standing still and staring off into space, waiting for something to happen… or come.

A rattling noise soon reached her cat-like ears, sending chills up her spine for some strange reason. She did not know where this rattling came from and fighting against this instinctual fear she tried to find the increasingly growing rattle. For a few moments, she could not find the source until the terrified grip of that petite blonde student on her shoulder grabbed her attention. At first she did not know what was wrong with the young student; her fingers dug into her skin, eyes wide showing a fear that no one person should ever experience, her mouth agape as if she were screaming in silence. The homeroom teacher did not understand what was making the girl act like this until she noticed that she was staring at one fixed point and so letting her curiosity get the best of her she turned her head to where the girl was staring at and immediately understood what was scaring her so.

The both of them stared out a large window a found two yellow lights staring back at her. The monstrously deformed giant hung from outside the window; every exposed muscle twitching and pulsating, head pressed up against the window, steam fogging up the glass which creaked under pressure. Without turning her head Shizuka could feel everybody else turning towards the window and stare at the giant too, its eyes burning brighter as they made eye contact with him. Every single person was as silent as they were still, not daring to move like a scared deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi. The crowd and the giant locked eyes with one another and neither one of them moved from their respective spots, one out of fear and the other out of fascination. It was the proverbial calm before the storm and the only person who could form an actual thought or observation was for some strange reason Shizuka Nekonome; her breath was shallow and quick, her mind raced faster than she thought possible, and her heart beating even faster. Her sensitive cat ears caught the sounds of everybody's heart beat, going just as fast as hers and in-sync, the creaking of the window as the beast's face pressed harder against the glass, she knew that the slightest thing would set everything off when at that moment the window started to crack.

It was the tiny crack that set everything over the edge. The screaming started again in tenfold and the pushing and shoving became more violent with each and every new crack that formed. Within the chaos the only person who had any control over themselves was Nekonome herself, standing still among the vortex or shrill screams and rushing feet, she stood in the same spot as before and stared at the giant freak of nature that hung out of the window. She stood there while others around her scrambled to get up and down those stairs and a few, accidently or on purpose, went over the railings falling to the lower levels of the academy. The more cracks formed across the window glass the thinner the crowd became until it was only Nekonome and the beast. The homeroom teacher stared at the crack riddled glass listening to it creak and groan under the pressure exerted on it from the giant on the other side, who stared right back at her with menacing eyes that glowed behind the bone white mask.

It did not take long but the glass finally broke, raining tiny shards of glass on the heads of the poor souls below, and the giant's head pushed his way in until his shoulders stopped him from coming in any further. When the glass shattered so did the self hypnotic spell that Nekonome was under and finally she reacted to the situation. The beast was just about two feet away from her but that did not stop her from rushing back until she hit the railing, then crouched herself into the tightest ball that her body would allow and threw her hands over her head in a childish attempt to protect herself. With her eyes closed and hands covering her ears a sense of childish safety overcame her better judgment even when she could hear the sounds of brick chipping and the steamy breath on her back she soon fully reverted back to childhood fear when she felt a warm sensation going down her leg. She did not know how long she stayed like that, every second felt like days, but when she heard a loud thunderous crack she inadvertently let a loud frightened yowl and somehow scrunch herself tighter and sat there, soiled and scared out of her mind.

Silent and alone it was a while before that instinctual fear she felt had passed. Her mind and body started to calm down and her heart returned to a resting beat. Several minutes had passed when she gathered enough courage to peek her head out from her hands and asses the situation; she found that despite all of the screaming and shouting coming from all over the school she was completely alone on that single flight of stairs between the fourth and fifth floors, the giant no longer hanging outside the window with a good portion of brick missing. She was left all alone, cold and wet, kneeling on the floor shivering.

* * *

(Academy Rooftop)

Kuyou lay on top of a pile of broken terracotta shingles, bits of stone statue, and globs of cooling metal in a pitiful state. No longer did his body glow with that phosphorescent glow but rather had a burnt-red complexion about him, serious injuries clearly marked on his body from; broken ribs, bruising shoulder and jaw, deep gashes along his body, and finally bits of debris stuck in his back. Groaning in pain he managed to roll over onto his stomach and groggily push himself onto all fours. He started to cough up miniscule amounts of blood when he felt the building starting to shake. His heart racing, Kuyou climbed his way out from the pile of rubble and scrambled to his feet. He tried to limp his way to the edge of the rooftop but he became too distracting for him to go any further. Quake after quake fueled this youko's fear as he felt that instinctual horror festering in his gut again. When he failed to get back on his feet Kuyou crawled pathetically towards the edge of the roof, hoping that for some reason that when he reached the lip he would somehow miraculously come up with a plan to defeat the seemingly invincible titan. With every inch, he pulled his nearly broken body over sharp bits of terracotta and the shaking of the building only reminded him of what waited below. He was right at the edge, his fingers hooking along the rim, when the shaking stopped.

Kuyou did not understand why but when the building stopped shaking he let out a breath of relief and rolled onto his back. The black skies offered little comfort for him as shame came when he felt happy that the shaking ended. Thoughts rushed through his head; it was not supposed to be like this, HE was supposed to be the stronger one, HE was supposed to be the superior, and that ugly monstrosity was supposed to be the one hiding from him! Staring up he could see the covered sun hanging above his head. The way that the sun was covered by the indelible murky clouds gave it the image of the giant's face giving him the feeling that no matter where he was or what he did, as long as he was under this sun the beast would always be looking down on him.

Kuyou's already bruised ego started up once more, his pride taking over all of his other senses and powering his body more than anything else; his red skin of his body started to glow once again with a weak glimmer, the pupils in his eyes dilating to near pinpoints, his ears pricked and tails swished angrily. Adrenaline and other bodily chemicals pumping in his veins, Kuyou stood tall and proud, ready for another round, when the academy started to shake again. His pride and sense of self worth was the only thing that beat down the fear and slowly turned around, coming face to face with the giant once again. He had just about pulled himself up to the roof with everything from the waist up was fully exposed, his grotesque hand reaching out for the youko but said demon jumped back just enough to be out of the way. Kuyou watched with wide eyes as the beast in front of him clawed his way onto the roof and quickly rose to his feet to eclipse what little light leaked from the covered sun. Despite his body being fueled by adrenaline, dopamine, and his oversized pride he still took several steps back out of self-preservation. Eyes glowing at the sight of his unmasked fear the beast steadily made his way towards Kuyou, each step rattling the terracotta that covered the roof and the grunts his body made involuntarily was even more intimidating now that Kuyou was on his last leg.

The two continued their little dance; the behemoth taking one step forward and Kuyou taking one step back but they both knew that it would not last much longer, already he was almost out of space. Knowing that he was no match for a physical confrontation and he was too weak to fire off a volley of fireballs like before so there was only one option left for him. He kept stepping backwards until his back touch the cold hard steel and the giant in front reaching out for him. Gathering power in his legs and moving with the fluidity of an injured animal Kuyou sprinted towards the giant, barely ducking under the open palm meant for his head, and rushed to the other side. His feet pounded on the tiles of the rooftop with tiny bits of terracotta shingles digging into the bottoms but he did not stop especially when he heard the beast behind him starting to move again. The youko was about halfway to the edge when the deformed behemoth ran for him like a rampaging elephant causing; the academy building to shake violently, dislodge and remaining shingles and metal railings out of place. It was only several yards but it seemed like miles for Kuyou as his legs began to tire and started to slow down but quickly found his second wind when steamy breath hit the back of his neck. There were only a few feet left so he went full sprint for the edge while swearing that the giant's clawed hand was just a few inches away from his neck. Just as he ran out of room Kuyou recklessly jumped over the edge, claws barely raking his back, and dived into a freefall.

The wind rushing past his fox ears Kuyou had absolutely no control during his fall; windows sped by as did the panic faces of the people scrambling inside the academy walls and the ground coming closer and closer by the second. Incredibly luck finally struck when his fall was broken by a lone tree that happen to be growing near the school and he was caught by its branches. Despite the branches stabbing into his sides Kuyou did not let that stop him as he quickly leapt to a window and drop to the ground. The moment his feet touched dirt he turned away from the academy and sprinted out into the grounds.

The wreckage that was the school grounds was extraordinary; almost every tree was uprooted, burned, or ripped apart and not a tombstone left undisturbed, the grounds were riddled with sawdust, bits of rotted flesh, craters and scorch marks but none of these observations slowed the demon down until he was close to half a mile from the academy building. Hastily spinning around expecting to find the misshapen colossus readying to reach out for him like before but this time he was not behind him. Rather as Kuyou looked around for him he found that the giant was still on top of the academy building, one leg up resting on the edge, looking over the grounds like some sort of offensive lion watching over his pride. Kuyou stood still waiting for the beast to come after him knowing that even in his weaken condition as long as he stayed out of the giant's reach he would have the upper hand. His recovery was slow but the longer he stood still the better he felt; his wounds were beginning to heal, the fiery glow returning to his skin, his demonic powers starting to replenish themselves, Kuyou was starting to feel like his normal invincible self when he was suddenly pelted with several tiny bits of stone.

Mechanically he moved his hand to protect his face but it did not help much. Lowering his hand he found that somehow a tiny crater, no bigger than two feet wide, appeared in front of him. Suddenly before he could react, another burst in front of him and then a piece of tombstone was shot off by some mysterious object and again with a branch from a nearby tree. He was not exactly sure what was going on but he could distinctly hear the beast screaming at the top of his lungs.

"_**Yeah that's right I want'chu to dance boy!"**_

Kuyou quickly started to dash around the wrecked grounds and immediately hundreds of craters blasted from the ground around him. Scurrying like some frightened animal Kuyou dashed all over avoiding any loose dirt exploding from the craters or bits of granite coming from destroyed tombstones and falling branches from trees. He did not understand what was happening or what was being shot at him. For a second he thought that perhaps bits of terracotta shingle were being fired at him but striped that thought from his head when he did not see or hear anything being shot at or near him. Zigzagging all over the place Kuyou was doing his best to avoid being sniped or getting caught in an explosion that he had not noticed that things around him stopped breaking and craters stopped forming. It took a while, but the demon finally noticed that everything calmed down so he slowed to a complete halt and turned to gaze up to the beast on top of the academy. From what he could tell the behemoth had not moved an inch from that one position but had moved his arm up to his chest. Kuyou squinted and saw that the giant's thumb was hooked under his pointer finger and aimed at the demon. At first, he did not understand what was happening but when the beast aimed his fist, a terrible thought occurred to the tired youko.

'_Is it possible? Is he actually shooting-'_

This thought was abruptly cut off when the giant flicked his thumb and shot Kuyou square between the eyes with what could only be described as a bullet of concentrated air. Kuyou stumbled back slightly dazed from the hit but recovered quickly. The moment he got his bearings back he started to run again when the giant started flicking his thumb at a rapid pace. It was like Kuyou was under machine gun fire, once again running and scurrying all over the place dodging what he could and trying to push through what did hit him. Dirt, stone, and bits of decayed flesh flew through the air while Kuyou was doing everything he could to avoid any direct hits. Kuyou was buffeted in the arms, legs, and back by these air bullets, leaving giant welts all over his body, but he managed to make sure that his head and vital organs were spared from this brutal and bizarre assault. More and more it became harder for Kuyou to dodge or even withstand the hits when the rain of invisible bullets came down harder then stopped almost instantaneously. Taking no relief in this sudden cease-fire Kuyou immediately knew that something terrible was about to happen so he looked to the rooftop only to find the giant absent.

Turning his head upwards he saw the spiked beast hanging in the air, the blackened sun behind him, his gigantic arm pulled back and his legs pulled into his chest the beast was falling down to the ground like a meteorite, ready to crush anything that would be unfortunate enough to be caught underneath him. Immediately Kuyou started to run while casting an eye over his shoulder, making sure that when he did hit the ground he would be more than ready to evade whatever was going to happen next. The giant fell at frightening speeds, closing in on the ground, ready to strike and Kuyou watched believing that he was ready for anything.

What actually happened scared Kuyou more than anything else that he had seen yet; the beast landed with no explosion or crash but landed like a cat on the balls of his feet kicking up only the tiniest amount of dust, arcing his entire arm and throwing his entire body in one single motion and swung his fist straight at Kuyou with his knuckles grazing the dirt. At first nothing happened, Kuyou stopped running and faced the giant with a sort of stunned curiosity, but everything quickly changed. A sudden rush of air blew back his hair and the giant's image became blurry and swirled violently, the sound of cracking earth thundered and shook almost to the point where Kuyou could no longer stand, and then it happened.

The ground trenched like it was being dug up by some invisible shovel and anything that stood between the two disintegrated into pure dust. He tried to scream in pain but his cries of agony were ripped from his throat when he was struck by hurricane force winds, he was trapped in a wind tunnel with his skin sliced by the razor winds, drawing no blood but cutting him deeply. It did not last long but when it ended Kuyou stood on his feet for a few moments then fell to his knees.

His mouth was wide open with a sick gurgling noise coming out, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and the cuts that came from that last attack oozed blood, muddying the ground beneath him. His breath was raspy and it hurt him whenever he took a breath but with whatever breath he did have he was able to gasp out a few words.

"Im-Impossible…how…I'm the…strongest…"

"_**Because you became complacent that's why."**_

His eyes rolled back to normal and saw the giant strolling towards him. The giant's pace was slow and deliberate, anything that would have gotten in his way was already obliterated, his voice deep and condescending as he gave a speech that Kuyou would never forget.

"_**No matter where or when there is one universal truth; the hungry survive! Those who constantly hunger for power will live while the ones who become satisfied die. I can tell that you once had this hunger once but now you've become bloated on your own self worth."**_

The giant stopped in front of Kuyou pointing an accusing finger at him.

"_**The complacent lay on the backs of the pathetic forgetting this hunger until they become too fat and fall into the maws of the ravenous masses and after 2,000 years…I'm fucking starving!"**_

With a frightening 'Shink' that same nicked and warped blade shot out from the tip of the gauntlet and gently let it graze across Kuyou's cheek, drawing a thin streak of blood in the process. Kuyou tried to sneer but with a quick and violent flick of the blade, the youko grabbed the side of his head only to find one of his pointed ears missing. Gripping the side of his bleeding head Kuyou spat at the giant.

"It's not fair! This school belongs to me!"

Another 'Shink' alerted Kuyou and he could see another bone blade coming out of his other arm. Kuyou watched helplessly with a final look of defiance as the beast pulled back both his arms, ready to shear off his head, and spoke in that low sadistic tone of voice.

"_**And you belong to…belong to…aaarrggg"**_

This time it was the giant who gripped his head. The blades from his arms withdrew back into his arms while the thick and gnarled spikes that grew out from his back were slowly and painfully retracting into his body. Still kneeling in front of him Kuyou watched while the beast before him reverting back when he suddenly truly understood what was happening; skin regenerating over the exposed patches of muscle, his body shrinking in size, and everything under his flesh wriggling like he was filled with live eels, Kuyou knew that now for the first time this apparently indestructible monster was vulnerable. Taking what little energy he recovered he started to form it into one last attack while the shrinking giant wobbled in a drunken manner. Feeling his energy draining from the core of his body and gathering in the palm of his hand and aimed it at straight at the giant's chest, ready to destroy his heart again, with a demented and wild grin on his face. He was ready to kill when he noticed his already large target was getting bigger by the second. When he turned his attention away from his target and saw the whole picture; the giant was falling like a tree.

"NO NO NO NO!"

Whatever energy gathered in the palm of his hand immediately dissipated when the giant starting leaning forward and falling towards him. Kuyou tried to duck out of the way but he had absolutely no energy left in his body and could only watch in horror as the diminishing colossus fell on top of him with a mighty crash. The ground quaked for one last time when the giant fell on Kuyou, muffling his screams. No longer did he look like a deformed prickled giant and more like what he was before, all muscle and no flair, and from that his body continued to shrink to the point where he was back to normal, laying on top of the unconscious body of Kuyou.

Even from that far away the girls and even the now awoken Gin could clearly see what had happened. Before any of them could stop her the silver haired vampiress ran out to Tsukune's body. Running across the grounds Moka ignored the wreckage and destruction and caused by the two fighters and did not stop until she slid across the dirt on her knees and stopped besides Tsukune. With a quick once over Moka could see large puncture scars all over his bare back. She reached out to his shoulders and rolled him off of Kuyou and onto his back. Again she looked over Tsukune; the mask was gone leaving only his own pale face, he was cold, and from what she could tell he was not breathing. Desperately she struck him across the face over and over screaming at him to wake up. This went on until the two were surrounded by their friends, watching this heart wrenching display of emotion.

Unbeknownst to all of them they were being watched by a pair of eyes; eyes that belonged to a single lone figure that stood far beyond the school grounds, eyes that were watching them surround their friend, eyes that had seen everything.

* * *

(Authors note)

Here's the new chapter and for fun I have a little challange for the readers. In this chapter I have listed several Deities, one of which is not from an actual religon. Find it and name where it is from to prove your attention to detail. Also for a bonus try and find the others! Beta-read by Scott Pike.

"In Tobi We Trust" ^(;;;)^


	10. Promises Kept

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

"_No mask like open truth to cover lies, as to go naked is the best disguise"_

_William Congreve_

Promises Kept

In a dark and cold room, Tsukune stood alone. With a sense of apprehension and alienation, that he had not felt since the first day he attended Youkai Academy he tentatively tried to examine his surroundings. It was strange but where he was there was absolutely nothing; no light and from what he could discern no darkness when he noticed that he could see his own hand and the rest of himself like he was in a perfectly lit room. Still looking over his new strange environment with trepidation, he tried to call for someone, anyone, but became shocked when his voice was not its usual placid tone but rather a far away farce, barely audible to his own ears. Understandably upset by everything that was going on he tried to find some semblance of normalcy he actually tried to contact the relic but was shocked to find that it was silent, no snide remarks, no hateful or poisonous words, just pure silence. With the sense of terror, swelling inside him Tsukune began to briskly walk in whatever direction he felt safest. Wandering aimlessly in this black abyss Tsukune never felt his feet hitting anything solid and yet the echoing sounds of his shoes slapping against a floor was heard.

He did not know how long he was wondering around this strange place; it could have been several seconds or several hours and several times he believed that he was running around in circles but instead of giving up hope Tsukune only sped up his brisk walk to a moderate jog. With his heart beating in his chest and the resonance of his feet hitting the floor that was not there Tsukune ran with his hands up against his chest in case he ran into something in this queer place and he would not smash his face into a wall or something. His little run did not last long and Tsukune quickly ran out of breath and bent forward, trying to catch his breath. His breath was heavy and without a second thought, he reached out to balance himself out when his hand brushed up against something as cold and smooth as polished marble. Jerking up Tsukune jumped back and slammed his back against the same mysterious wall-like object. Back locking up he bounced off the invisible wall and smacked face first on the other side. Gripping his face Tsukune realized that for the first time in a long time he had some actual pain radiating from his face, realizing that there was nothing underneath it protecting him. Not understanding what was happening or even how he got to this place, he decided that the only logical decision was to turn around but was stopped his exit was blocked by the same solid object.

Trapped in this box of nothingness Tsukune did everything he could not to panic, knowing that panicking was counterproductive in this situation, he instead tried to remember anything that would help him figure out how he got to be in this strange land. He sat down on the now obvious solid black floor and did his best to get into a comfortable position but his shoulders, which were once unencumbered, continuously brushed up against the hard and possibly invisible walls. Scratching his bare chin and sifting his other hand through his dark hair Tsukune did his best to recall the last thing in his memory but he was fuzzy on the specifics. Tsukune gritted his teeth and breathed heavily as his mind was assaulted with fragmented memories of; heat, fire, and a piercing pain in his chest. Without realizing it his hand removed itself from his chin and grabbed his chest while his probing yielded more results. The sensation of being tossed and crashing against the bare cold earth came next and was quickly followed by a sight that made his heart skip a beat for just a moment. It was Moka, leaning over him with her brilliant pink hair slightly frazzled and strands caught on her face, it looked like she was trying to talk to him but for the life of him he could not remember what she had said or if he had even heard it in the first place but he vividly remembered the way her glistening lips parted and moved in the light of the fires that may have possibly surrounded them. At this point, his vision started to flicker but he could still see her reaching for his hand, his engorged over muscled hand, and placed it on her chest and Moka looks up and away from him, his final memory was of her looking away, possibly saying something, and a flash of purple light followed by absolute darkness.

It was difficult for Tsukune to process what had happened; over and over he went over his final memories, obsessing over every little detail, and going over what this possibly meant for him ending up in a place that was obviously so far away from the academy he came up with several solutions, but one stood above the others, one that he disliked more than anything else but conceded to making the most sense. Getting up from his seat Tsukune stood alone in what he finally acknowledged as a tunnel and admitted aloud to himself, even if he could not hear it; he died.

Upon this sudden realization he was assaulted with a shimmering light, a light brighter than anything he had ever experienced or imagined. Tsukune did not dare look directly into this light in fear of being blinded but when the light filtered through the fingers of his hand protecting his eyes he remembered the fact that he was dead so the idea of him being blinded by the light at the end of the tunnel seemed a bit ridiculous to him. Feeling a sense of content with every step he took towards this magnificent and possibly holy light he was washed over with inviting warmth that only gave him that much more incentive to get to this radiant light. Making it to the light was easy enough but when he right in front of it he stopped and for a moment, just one moment, began to wonder what might be on the other side but the thought passed as quickly as it came and took those final steps, becoming enveloped in the luminescent light and crossed over to the other side.

The sense of sunlight graced the skin on his face and gently filled his eyes while filtered through a window. The sunlight through the window was the first thing he noticed the second thing was that he was no longer on the hard black floor of the tunnel but laid on a comfy feather-down comforter. Not wanting to move from this comfortable bliss he rested on what he believed to be a bed and began to examine his surroundings with rested and contented eyes. Almost immediately, he realized that he was in his assigned dormitory room, exactly as how he remembered but for some reason his mind told him that something about it was different. Moving out from under the sheets and finding that he was in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, Tsukune went over the room once more, soaking in every little detail and trying to figure out what was different from what he remembered. At the foot of his bed there was; his backpack and next to that were some text and notebooks stacked on one another, further along there was his desk equipped with several drawers and a medium-sized desk lamp with several sheets of loose leaf paper scattered across its polished oak surface. Next, he looked down at his toes, which wriggled on an ugly deep purple shag rug that covered the floor of his room, and when he was finished checking out the ugly carpet he turned towards his closet, door slightly askew showing off several school uniforms. Purely from observation, his room was exactly the same way he left it, but when he took in a deep breath, he smelt something delicious in the air a felt a familiar presence somewhere close by. Tsukune stood up from his comfortable bed and at a slow and comfortable pace, he made his way towards his kitchenette, which was attached to the room and was rewarded with a wonderful sight.

There was Moka standing over the tiny oven that was in his kitchenette, stirring a pot filled with something delicious and next to her, was a small rice cooker popping and steaming with life. Standing silently, he looked at her with loving eyes that traveled up her long and smooth legs and shortly stopped at her black bicycle shorts, which hugged tightly against the perfect curvature of her buttocks. After he was done admiring her with his eyes, they traveled upward to see the back of a matching tank top and the bow strands of a pink apron resting on the small of her back. Sitting down at the tiny table that lay in the middle of the kitchenette Tsukune just watched the pink hair beauty cook in the this mysterious meal and hummed a self-content and happy melody until she turned around and saw him sitting at the table. For a brief moment, Moka stared at Tsukune with sheer and utter surprise, but surprise was soon replaced with delight and a sense of reprieve. A graceful and radiant smile graced her face and as he watched her take a teakettle off the tiny two heating element oven and pick up an empty tea cup Tsukune gave an equally powerful smile for her too. The moment she placed the empty cup in front of him she poured him some hot tea she turned her head and spoke in that soft angelic voice of hers.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Tsukune."

His heart thumped a little louder in the middle of his chest but it was nothing that bothered him too much as he just sat there with a smile and sat there silently, graciously accepted the steaming cup of tea from the girl he cared for so deeply and took a sip, feeling a heavenly sense of calm and relaxation washed over him. Tsukune sat silently at the table and watched Moka walk to and fro along the kitchenette, bringing over bowls and utensils while Tsukune sat there with cup in hand and absolute tranquility in mind. Moka set out the table for the both of them and brought over the rice cooker and steel cooking pot filled with that delicious smelling mystery meal and began to serve the both of them with a small smile on her angelic face. With a hot cup of tea in his hands, a plate of delicious seasoned meats along with a complimentary bowl of rice, and the girl he dreamed about ever since he came to this school sitting across the table from him Tsukune took in a deep relaxed breath and allowed one happy question enter his head.

'_Am I in Heaven?'_

'_**No and you ain't in Kansas neither!'**_

Savagely torn out from his heavenly haze by the demonic voice of the eldritch relic that lay beneath the skin of his face immediately and fully convinced him that he was not in any kind of Heaven but back in the real world this entire time. Tightening the grip he had on his cup Tsukune did not realize that it cracked under his grip. Moka heard the cup crack and looked up from her plate of seasoned meats and bowl of rice only to see Tsukune's face. His eyes were wide and nostrils flared so wide that the insides were unfortunately visible; eyebrows raised high and the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rose like the hackles of a terrified animal. She watched with concern when trickles of steaming tea leaked through the cracks of his cup and flowed over his fingers and he showed absolutely no reaction to imply that he was aware of the of the scalding liquid traveling down the flesh of his bare hand. Moka quickly stood up and tried to pry the cup from his grip without hurting him but the iron grip he had on the cup made it difficult for her. Tsukune on the other hand was not even aware that the pink haired girl was trying to save his hand from being burned, his mind was sent into a loop; he died, walked through the long dark tunnel with the blinding light at the end, believed that he was in Heaven, but now realized that it was all wrong. He was well alive and so was the beast in his head. Physically paralyzed the only communication that was possible was mental but even that was proving to be difficult as his thoughts reeled and tumbled in his head like boulders but he manage to produce coherent thoughts.

'_H-How? I thought I was dead!'_

The creature chuckled with its usual cold and pompous chuckle.

'_**You dead? Sorry punk but you ain't that lucky.'**_

'_Then how…'_

'_**Through a series of fortunate events and the meeting certain criteria's I was able to how do you say? Give you a little…boost.'**_

Finally, he came to and realized that his hand was burning under the hot liquid and Moka trying to pry the damaged cup from his hand Tsukune released the grip on it and Moka caught it before it fell to the ground. Deciding that the cup was too damaged for holding liquid she emptied what little tea was left in the sink, threw the cup in the garbage, and retrieved a new one for him. Watching Moka move with her usual grace but instead of finding relief in her movements he was too preoccupied with the creature in his head.

'_What do you mean 'boost'? You told me that you were drained; running on E, after bringing me back from the brink of death!'_

'_**Ah well I misspoke, what I meant to say was that your body could not handle anymore power without it swallowing you whole. Mortal bodies are so fuckin' fragile in my opinion.'**_

Moka returned with a new cup and placed it in front of him, temporarily snapping him out of the conversation with the creature. As he watched her pour him a new cup of tea Tsukune saw her turn her head to face him and give him a small but happy smile. Tsukune reciprocated the smile but his thoughts were stuck on what the relic told him that his body would not be able to handle its power. When he was about to ask it to elaborate on those words it beat him to it with condescension and superiority.

'_**Because I know that you are truly ignorant of my strength I feel compelled to tell you that what you probably believed to be the full aspect of my powers is really just the most infinitesimal fraction of it and thanks to your pink haired honey bunny over there I was able to whip out a slightly bigger piece.'**_

Immediately Tsukune moved his hand towards his neck to gingerly touched the two little puncture marks that were left from the numerous times Moka bit down on him, he could not help but remember what she did before he thought was die.

'_Moka's blood!'_

'_**He~ey look at that, you got it right and might I add that Philly's got some kick to her.'**_

His fingers were still on the two little puncture marks on his neck and his thoughts were on the monster's words but when his nose caught whiff of something delicious everything else disappeared, all of his worries melted away. He turned his eyes downward and was greeted with the sight of his meal of; seasoned meats and vegetables mixed with herbal tea, a bowl of rice, and a fresh cup of tea. Staring at the plate of food Tsukune could feel his stomach grumble with hunger pains and he came up with one resounding conclusion; he was starving! Grabbing his utensils Tsukune started to dig into his plate of seasoned meats and started to shovel it into his mouth and swallow chunks of meat and bits of vegetables whole while chasing them down by guzzling his tea. Within minutes, his plate was empty and he went after his bowl of rice with a ravenous vigor and when thirty seconds passed he managed to polish off half his bowl. It took him awhile but when he saw both his plate and cup move, he remembered that Moka was in the room with him and he immediately regretted devouring his food like an absolute pig and immediately tried to wipe whatever food might be on his face.

Moka giggled when she watched Tsukune doing his best to wipe away the evidence of his little binging episode and took his plate and cup with every intention of refilling his plate and cup when she heard a sound that made her turn around and see Tsukune trying to scoop handfuls out of he rice cooker. Watching the boy eat out of the cooker with his bare hands was a little off-putting but instead of complaining or shouting out in disgust she gave off a little giggle, letting him know that she was looking, and spoke in a calm and gentle voice.

"I'm glad to see my cooking agrees with you."

Startled by her voice Tsukune accidently knocked the cooker over, spilling rice all over himself in the process and getting another laugh from the pink haired girl. After a few seconds of laughter, Moka reached for some paper towels but stopped when the boy started to scrape out rice from the crotch of his sweatpants and resume eating it with gusto. Perturbed by this sight Moka put away the paper towels and rationalized it as best she could.

"Well I guess I'd be that hungry too if I were asleep as long as you were."

This one sentence made him stop eating off the crotch of his sweatpants and gave her a quizzical look, showing her that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. When Moka noticed his look she responded by refilling his plate with an extra large portion of the medley of seasoned meats, vegetables and refilled his teacup and placed it in front of the boy. With a large pile of cooked rice still in his lap, Tsukune waited for the girl to answer his unasked question which she did the moment she sat at the table.

"You've been in that bed asleep for more than a week, Tsukune."

Her words shocked him greatly, almost seeming to far-fetched but he absolutely believed her. For whatever reason the idea of him being passed out for a whole week seemed to make sense to him but did not know why it did. Thinking about it over and over, trying to figure out what might had happened to him, Tsukune tried to remember what could have possibly happened but no matter what it would not come to him but that's not to say that the feeling of remembrance was absent. In his head, it felt like whatever memory of the incident that caused his week long hibernation was there but his mind would not allow him to relive it. He wanted to ask Moka what had happened after the flash of purple light and when he opened his mouth, he said.

"A whole week! Exactly how many classes did I miss?"

Surprisingly Moka waved off his concern with one simple hand gesture ad spoke to him in a nonchalant manner.

"You didn't miss any. They've been canceled because of repairs."

"Repairs?"

"Well yeah after what happened after-"

Immediately she stopped herself when she noticed the look he had on his face, confused and upset by what she was saying. Taking all of this into account, she came to a crossroad; tell Tsukune the truth and risk upsetting him greatly or lie to him, lie straight to Tsukune's face. Moka wrestled with this moral dilemma but she did not have long to think about unless Tsukune became suspicious, so with a judgment call she told him what she believed to be the right thing to do.

"After what Kuyou did they had to repair most of the grounds and the outside of the Academy."

Moka lied to Tsukune, told him that it was the shamed leader of the Public Safety Commission that caused all of the damage that Tsukune did, she blamed Kuyou for the possibility that Tsukune can remain ignorant and innocent for as long as possible. Tsukune stared at her for a moment, making her wonder whether or not if he saw through her lie. She held her breath but did her best to hide any facial ticks as Tsukune continued looking at her with that same look of confusion. It soon came to the point where she felt her lips starting to turn blue as her body starved for oxygen and just when she thought she could not hold her breath anymore; Tsukune shrugged a shoulder and turned back to his freshly refilled plate of meat and lap of rice, apparently accepting her answer.

Moka released her held breath slowly as to not alarm Tsukune from the first meal he had in a week and then turned to her own.

* * *

(One hour later)

It had not long after Tsukune polish off all the rice that fell on his lap and the big pot filled with seasoned meat and vegetables and drank half the teapot but still he experienced an inhuman hunger; he did his best to hid the sounds that his stomach made from Moka, clenched his teeth, fingers digging into his gut, and eyes fluttering in pain. Moka was in the other room washing and drying the dishes in the other room while Tsukune was getting ready for the day. During breakfast, Moka told him that the school was reopening for classes' tomorrow and that this was the last day. He tried to mask his pain as long as he could while trying to get dressed in one of the few spare uniforms he had left. As he was getting dressed, he spied out of the corner of his eye a tan piece of cloth laying just underneath the headboard of his bed. Curiosity peaked he stopped in mid-dress and fought the pain in his gut in order to pick up the cloth.

When he picked up the cloth he saw that it was the tattered remains of what used to be the pants part of a school uniform; it was tattered and torn until they looked more like shorts than pants, waistband stretched beyond their elasticity, splattered with flecks of red that smelt of blood. He stared at this tattered rag of a garment and again the feeling of remembrance came back just as strong as before but his mind would not allow the memory through that final barrier between the conscious and subconscious. He tried to fight it but this feeling of remembrance was soon eclipsed the ravenous pain he felt in his stomach and did the only sensible thing he believed that needed to be done; finish getting dressed, grabbed a free coat hanger from the closet, set the scrap of dirty cloth on it, opened his door and set it on the outside doorknob. Closing the door as quiet as he could it still made a sound and when it did he heard the rushed sounds of footsteps coming from the kitchenette. He turned around and saw Moka standing in the doorway with her school issued top and skirt and one sock on and her shoes and other sock in her hand. Tsukune looked at the half-dressed girl standing in-between his bedroom and kitchenette and tried to understand what exactly it implicated. Gathering whatever courage was hidden behind the pain in is stomach and tried to speak while hiding any pain that might sneak its way into his speech.

"Moka-san… were you getting dressed in there?"

The pink haired girl began to stutter when he asked her that one question and what implications it had behind it. Tsukune watched her squirm uncomfortably under the pressure and despite feeling bad about making her uncomfortable he could not help but realize how cute she was; her cheeks became flushed with a light red, bit her lower lip, trying to weave her fingers together without dropping her sock and shoes, and much to his delighted surprise she curled and wiggled her toes with apprehension while she tried to think of an answer to his perfectly reasonable but embarrassing question. He could almost see the cogs turning in her head as she tried her best to answer him in the best possible way without embarrassing herself or making Tsukune too uncomfortable.

"Well it's just that…well…I've been coming here every morning really ummm…early and nobody was up yet and I had to bring over a lot of things and…"

Tsukune soon realized that she was most likely going to continue nervously rant like this until something had the good grace to stop her and at once he decided that he would be that thing. Moka continued with trying to figure out a good excuse for her actions but when Tsukune raised a hand and she stopped. He had a sweet smile on his face even though she still had that embarrassed look on hers and he continued to get dressed in his school uniform, turning his back to Moka so that she had some sense of privacy so she could finish getting dressed.

* * *

(Youkai Academy-Hallway)

The both of them had not but wandering the hallways for long but already Tsukune noticed that there was something wrong. Moka had told him that for a week straight the students were free to do what they wanted as long as they stayed away from the areas under repair and the rooftop but everywhere they went the halls were deserted. The both of them walked along those halls and they never met another soul; every turn they were met with hollow halls, every door closed, and sometimes the sounds of rushing foot steps could be heard just around the corner. Sometimes if the both of them were quiet enough and slowed their pace Tsukune could here the quietest wisps of whispers and the prickling sensation of wary eyes on his back; what he was experiencing was the primal fear of others. When at first he thought that they were alone he know realized that they were in fact completely surrounded by students and staff, they were just hiding from them. They were hiding from him. This fear from the hidden masses radiated from the very walls and at once he sense that it was completely different from what he had experienced yet; before the fear he felt from the mass populace of Youkai academy was either from a fear of personal safety or through the vicious rumors spread about him but this time the fear was unilaterally the same. The fear that emanated from the concealed masses was the most primal of all fears, the fear that all sentient creatures feel at least one time in their existence; fear for ones life.

Tsukune could not understand what had caused a change so dramatic in their behavior towards him. They were always afraid of him but this was worse than ever before and for a reason he did not understand or even know and that both infuriated and disturbed him. Angry and confused by their outlandish behavior Tsukune started to run through the hallways, not really caring that Moka was struggling to keep up with him, hoping to catch a glimpse of another living soul. His shoes slapped against the linoleum floor, alerting everyone of his presence and a symphony of slamming doors soon followed. No matter how fast he ran he never saw another living person as he sped through the academy's hallways; the wind blowing through his hair and his heart beating heavily against his chest the only form of movement that Tsukune saw that proved his assumption about the inhabitants of the academy were in fact hiding from him was the classroom doors slamming shut and locking themselves from the inside. Scared by this display of erratic behavior it came to the point where he was not running to find somebody but instead was trying to run as far away from them as he could.

Moka did her best to keep up with Tsukune but it was more difficult than she realized as the boy rushed down the hallways. Figuring that she was not going to catch up with him Moka opted for the next best option and did everything in her power to at the very least keep up with him. The combination of watching as the boy constantly turned his head side to side and the sound of slamming doors and locks turning upset her greatly as she managed to follow him. Every sharp turn, every long stretch of hall, every flight of stairs Moka was able to follow Tsukune but never reach him. Eventually Moka notice that during this chase Tsukune stopped turning his head in search of others but stared straight ahead and seemed to ignore the slamming doors and their locking bolts. At first, she did not want to believe it, but she came to realize that he was not slowing down. Rather he was going even faster than before; it was like he was running away from something.

Chasing after the boy who ran aimlessly through the halls Moka tried to call out his name but her voice barely exceeded above a whisper when she tried to speak and run at the same exact time. She was almost out of breath and really needed to stop and rest when Tsukune suddenly stopped short in front of the academy library, breathing shallow but not nearly as bad as Moka. Tsukune stood in the middle of the hallway and in front of the library exhausted, back straight and staring off into space while he tried to catch his breath. Moka on the other hand was bent over with hands on her knees and her chest heaving in and out, her cheeks were flushed and hot but she kept her head up so that she could watch Tsukune, concerned for him and wanting to make sure that he was ok.

Tsukune stood in front of the academy library with a look of bewilderment; his eyes were wide and he turned in circles. He was shocked by the sudden silence, true silence, there were no slamming doors or locks clicking and no more rushing footsteps trying to get away from him; it was just silent. It took him a few moments but when he realized that, he blindly ran well across the academy and stopped in front of the academy library. For a moment, Tsukune felt something other than the fear and confusion, a sense of completion swept over him like he had reached the edge of some long search that he was not even aware that he was on. Taking a few tentative steps inward Tsukune crossed the threshold of the library and entered this magnificent room of books and texts. He was amazed by the rows upon rows of bookshelves and stacks of books that littered the many tables that occupied the spaces between the rows. The room was gigantic compared to most of the other rooms in the academy that he was in to begin with and probably one of the most beautiful also; the ceiling was a domed mosaic of a setting sun set against the dead forest that grew beyond the school grounds, each tiny colored tile did its best to capture the beauty that Tsukune had seen first hand but when compared to the real thing it came up short but none the less it was a spectacular piece of art. The way that the tiles were arranged formed an image that was almost exactly the same image that he would see every time he stayed on top of the academy rooftops; the brownish-black tree branches reaching out for the artificial sun but only managing to tickle the very bottom of it, splashed across the backdrop was a magnificent representation of the setting skyline with a mixture of different hues like; reds, yellows, oranges, and just touches of blues like it was just the beginning of the twilight hour. Finally, the last thing that Tsukune noticed was that above the trees, above the skyline and above the sun was big black letters 'Infernus Unus Sol'.

Taking in the sight of the domed mosaic ceiling Tsukune saw four marble Greco-Roman style pillars set equidistant from each other, each standing at compass points, and these pillars were the only visible means of support and disappeared behind the bookcases and beyond his line of sight. Enthralled by the magnificent sight of this library Tsukune continued to wander aimlessly through the rows of bookshelves, they towered at fifteen feet, until he had reach the very epicenter of the library and was treated with an equally delightful sight. There were countless tables forming a giant ring with even more chairs surrounding both sides of each table, within the table ring was another smaller ring of tables and within that there was an even smaller ring and so on and so forth. There were at least five rings of tables, all covered with papers, and in the very middle of them was a decorative white marble pedestal with an open book on top of it and reading from it was the academy librarian. She was a woman of mature age, early to mid forties, auburn hair with a single grey streak curled into a tight bun, her face was pleasing with only the slightest amount of wrinkles around her eyes and forehead. Her eyes were small and of a darkish blue color while her nose was tiny and sharp with a pair of horn-rimmed reading glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. Wearing a white blouse tucked into a deep red skirt, she was absolutely engrossed in the book that lay open on the pedestal. Tsukune was literally stunned by the sight of another living being, so much so that he did not recognize that Moka had followed him all the way through the almost labyrinthine bookshelves.

Moka could see the changes in his facial features and a glow of happiness in his eyes when he saw the librarian standing in the middle of the room and not running away and hiding from him in fear but for some reason she felt an inkling of something dark, something that she did not understand but at best could describe as the feeling that somebody gets when they find something that they were looking for a very long time. It only lasted for a moment before it was gone from Tsukune but with the moment that it was there Moka gleaned from that something not happiness, but rather the feeling a predator gives when something it wants is within its grasp. Deciding that she did not want to pursue this feeling anymore, she quickly threw it to the back of her mind and tried to forget it as best as she could and stood silently in the background.

Tsukune could only stand in the middle of this magnificent example of a knowledge depository with a dizzying sensation of amazement until his eyes fell on something that broke its spell over him. It was not anything terrible or terrifying like what he had become accustomed too but rather something completely innocuous but it was this little detail that threw Tsukune off and put up his guard. There were several dozens of rows of bookshelves but in the farthest flung corner from where he and the others stood or from anything really; there was one row that was quartered off by a simple length of velvet rope. The row that was cut off from the rest was in itself different from the others to say the least; it was darker than the others, possibly due to faulty lighting in that row, and from what he could tell from this distance it was most likely the least traversed of any of the rows. Compelled by some unknown reason Tsukune started to walk towards that particular row, cutting through the rings of tables, passing by the librarian without even giving so much as a passing glance as he headed straight towards this possible forbidden row of books and tomes. The closer he came the more obvious it became why this particular row was so far away from everything else; the books were large and possible antiques and some looked like they were molding, thick layers of dust clung to their leathery hides and laid on the red carpeted floor, and an evil air exuded from every book on the shelf. Once he reached the velvet rope Tsukune put his hands on it and subconsciously started to rub his palms against the smooth and pleasant fabric. He was still completely unaware that Moka followed him or anything from his surroundings that had nothing to do with that one particular row of ancient books. While staring down this one row of ancient books and tomes he felt something that he had never felt before, a beckoning call that was so powerful that he knew that he had to go down this outlawed row and explore it. His hands stopped rubbing the velvet and reach towards the hook that kept it suspended, impeding his entry, and played with the brass hook for just a second and began to lift it out of its resting hoop.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

The commanding but feminine voice of the librarian was powerful enough to break whatever hypnotic spell that came over him and out of sheer fear he dropped the hook and it fell back into its hoop with a tiny 'CLANG' and spun around with his hands behind his back. He could see the back of Moka's head and the librarian coming at them with a closed book in one hand and the other with her finger pointing at them accusingly. The soft click of her high heels on the burgundy carpet she made a beeline for them until she noticed that it was Tsukune that she was yelling at. She stopped suddenly and stood about halfway between the pedestal and them. The expression she held was one between anger and concern for her safety. Immediately she lowered her finger and crossed her arms under her modest chest and jutted her chin towards the two of them.

"That particular section is off-limits to students; only teachers and staff so please leave."

Tsukune took a few forward, away from the velvet rope, and stood next to Moka like a scolded child. The librarian just stared at them for a moment then turned around and walked away from the both of them and disappeared into one of the many other rows of bookshelves. Tsukune was stunned again by the woman's reaction all he could do was reach out for the nearest seat at one of the closest tables and sat down with his head cupped into his hands.

"Why Moka? Why is this happening?"

The only thing that the girl felt that she could do was place a caring hand on his shoulder and gently squeeze him in a comforting manner. Though he felt better that she was trying help him but the fact that everyone within this school were going to the extreme to avoid him and the fact that the only way that she could help was by showing pity on him started to anger him. Dropping his hands from his face out of frustration his hands fell to the table and landed on some of the many papers that littered the tables. At first, he ignored the papers, but now he noticed that it just was not the largest ring of tables, but all of them that were covered with papers. He did not know what to make of it until he noticed that they were all in fact issues of the Youkai Academy newspaper. He reached out and picked up one of them, thinking that it might have been an older issue but saw that the time stamp on the top of the paper told him that it was both printed and distributed just three days prior. The paper was about four pages long but what really got his attention was the front page.

_Aono Tsukune: The Menace of Youkai Academy ( )_

_It is a name that lives in infamy among the residence of Youkai Academy; a name that is whispered in hushed tones by huddled crowds and floats along these hollowed halls. This name that is wrapped in stigma and danger that was born out of numerous rumors but what I intend to find is the truth, not in the name but in the man himself! At the beginning of the year, he was nothing more than some unknown freshman but in one day became the most talked about person in the academy's history. Starting with the rumor of defeating the wild Komiya Saizou and his possible involvement in the swimming club fiasco everyone has speculated about him, few have stood against him, and even less associate with him. But just who is Aono Tsukune? That is the million dollar question and for one courageous writer I, Morioka Ginei, delved deep into the unknown for the answers that you, the readers, seek. The first thing that any rational person has wondered about the enigma that is Aono Tsukune is just where it is that he came from and let me tell you that I was shocked to find that this particular student seems to have appeared out of nowhere. It is common knowledge that most of the students of Youkai Academy often come from dynasty families, more often than not several generations of the same family have attended these halls, and the rest come from the very prominent and influential but it seems that Aono Tsukune is exempt from both. After several days of extensive research in the academy library, I found no evidence of a previous Aono attending this prestigious academy in the past and the name carries almost no political or financial ties in the human world. Truly peaking my curiosity I decided to go a different route when approaching this question and instead interviewed any witnesses to any of the numerous altercations that Aono Tsukune has been in and let me just say that it was quite illuminating. The first person I tried to interview was the first of many that Aono Tsukune fought, Komiya Saizou, but was unable due to the fact that he is still currently unavailable due to him still in a coma. However that did not stop me as I found the next best thing; tracking the original rumor back far enough this reporter was able to find the originator. I manage to get a quote from the source, who for safety sake shall remain nameless, told me about what he had saw that day; Aono Tsukune and Akashiya Moka entering the forest beyond the academy grounds and Komiya Saizou following them only a few minutes later. Later this person said that he saw two figures coming out of the forest one of which was Akashiya Moka and the other was a giant who was thought to be Saizou until he was pulled out of the forest by several hospital staff members. The next people that I interviewed were two members of the swim club that confronted Tsukune but due to matching or 'Kissing' fractures, the both of them suffer from chronic migraines most of the interview was either incomprehensible whining or cursing but from what I could decipher, they tried to restrain Aono Tsukune when he smashed their heads together. In that particular instance there are those who said that he saved many from having their life's drained while others speculate that he instigated the whole ugly ordeal._

_As I continued to track down these elusive victims, I came across a curious trio who claimed to try and befriend Aono Tsukune. Giving only their last names; Gouzaburou, Kubisaki, and Kasahara said that they tried to make friends with Aono Tsukune but when they tried to play a harmless prank they claimed that he somehow turned them against one another which ended with them putting one of them into the hospital with a concussion and several fractures. Even I am one of those few who faced Aono Tsukune and I can assure you that it was definitely not your average schoolyard brawl but the exchange that I and Aono Tsukune had was nothing compared to what happened between him and the Public Safety Commission three days ago on the school grounds. The battle between him and the entire Public Safety Commission and its leader is something that will go down in Academy legends and possible my own nightmares. The transformation that Aono Tsukune goes through may not be as exotic as some of the other students but rather one of efficiency; all muscle and size and no flamboyant details about him but from what I saw that was not enough to even faze Kuyou, the leader of a group that had almost all under their thumbs for decades, and with what I saw Aono Tsukune was killed with a stab through the heart or so we all thought! _

_Never in my life or of those who I've known has anyone ever heard of a youkai that can return from the dead or is able to go through two conversions but once again, it seems that Aono Tsukune is exempt from the rules. I do not need to go into detail about what I know we all saw and what is most likely scarred or memories for the rest of our lives but I have to say that even I admit, unashamedly, was frightened by him. The sheer brutality and merciless actions he committed against the Public Safety Commission was almost unbearable to watch and was enough to make me take my fight with Aono Tsukune as both a backhanded compliment and a blessing that he did not take me as a serious threat. During the course of this horrific battle I, the always-observant reporter, had managed to pick up on a few words that had exchanged between Aono Tsukune and Kuyou. They were mostly names and titles that at first had never heard of or understood their meaning but they stuck with me nonetheless. It was during my extensive research did I come about these names again and much to my morbid shock found that they were the many names of spiritual figures from different religions from all over the human world, all of them associated with war, death, and evil. With this knowledge I came to question as too who exactly is Aono Tsukune? Is he some sort of death worshipping cultist? Or something far worse?_

_Knowing that it would be unfair to write this article on pure speculation I have tried to interview those others closest to Aono Tsukune but unfortunately, they were unavailable for comments. I then tried to interview the student himself but when I reached his dormitory room, it seemed that he too was unavailable for comments and went as far to lock his room off to any and all students and staff. Unable to get the answers that you, the readers, seek I will stop at nothing until I get the truth for all of us._

That was the end of the front-page story and the rest of the newspaper articles were apparently about witness testimonies and how they were affected during his fight with Kuyou but none of it had come as close to confusing and hurting him as that front-page article. It felt like his head was about to split open like a chord of firewood as that same feeling of remembrance being blocked by the mental barrier that took refuge in his head. However, the thing that hurt him the most was the fact that this piece was written by someone he trusted, someone who had saved all of their lives, someone who he considered to be a friend. Releasing the tight grip he had around the edges of the newspaper it scattered slightly when it fell to the table. He could feel Moka's hand on his shoulder tightening when he finished reading the front page and her silence told him more than anything that she could have possibly said. The one sentence that he did not understand was that he had locked the door to everyone when he had just woken up from a week's hibernation. He could not understand how that was possible until he felt her hand tighten on his shoulder again and then it made sense; it was Moka who was locking his door, everyday that she came to his dorm room she would lock his door and if she was doing that the chances were that she knew about the article that Gin wrote about him.

He did not know which was worse; Gin writing such a horrible about him and then distributing it all over the school or Moka knowing about it and hiding him from the entire school and not telling him about it. His mind raced for a moment, wondering what he should do next, then quickly came up with a decision and pushed his chair out and stood up. Walking towards the library's exit, he could hear Moka following him from behind but instead of letting her he spun around to face her so fast that she jumped back in surprise when he looked her straight in the eyes. Grabbing at her chest with one hand, trying to calm her heart, and catching her breath she addressed him with a little smile.

"Tsukune-kun, you scared me."

"You knew."

He stared her directly in the eye while pointing a finger at one of the many newspapers that littered the surface of one of the many tables. She did her best to shy away from the table without looking like she was while Tsukune continued to stare her down with angry, accusing eyes. The way he stared at her Moka could swear that Tsukune felt that she had betrayed him and in a low repenting tone she tried her best to explain her reasoning behind her actions.

"It's just that…everybody was really scared and when that article came out it look like it would be a good idea to…protect you from anyone who might take advantage."

"Well what about what Gin-sempai wrote? When were you going to tell me about that?"

This time Moka did not struggling for an explanation or to even defend her reasoning because in all honesty she never had any intention of telling him about that article; it was a hurtful, libelous, and vilifying symbol of betrayal from someone that they both trusted and she was hoping that they entire thing would just disappear on its own but it didn't. She remained silent and Tsukune took that as the sign of guilt that it was and turned his back to her and started to walk towards the library exit. Once again he could hear Moka trying to follow him but he stopped her again by violently turning around to face her again. Instead of jumping back in fear like before Moka stood there, pulling in her arms and turning her head slightly downward like she was ashamed, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"I really need to be left alone right now Moka-san, so please leave me alone."

With that last sentiment, Tsukune left Moka alone and started to navigate his way through the labyrinthine bookshelves and headed straight towards the exit. Moka was left by herself as Tsukune disappeared into the rows of bookshelves and when she could no longer see him or even sense him being near she fell onto a chair with one hand on her forehead and the other gripping the hem of her skirt. It was not her fault that Gin wrote the article about Tsukune but somehow she felt guilty about it. Removing her hand from her forehead and picking up the newspaper, she looked at the article in question with heavy eyes. She had read this article over a hundred times the first day it was distributed out of sheer shock and never once again until now. Every word that was written had sickened her but the one thing about it that really got to her was 'pt.1'.

* * *

(Tsukune-Hallways)

At this point Tsukune had left Moka and was on his own, wandering aimlessly through the halls, all that was accompanying him was the sounds of slamming doors, locking bolts, and his own shoes hitting the tiled floor. As angry as he was about; Gin writing that article about him, the entire school avoiding him like a leper, and Moka trying to hide it all from him, there was one feeling that overpowered it all; nausea. Just like before with the feeling of never-ending hunger his stomach now whined with the pain of sickness. The sounds of his stomach gurgling and the feeling of his rather large breakfast turning into bile and trying to force its way back up made him realize that if he did not reach a restroom soon then he was going to be responsible for a rather large mess. Quickening his pace Tsukune ran through the school halls with one hand covering his mouth and the other grasping at his stomach in pain, no longer caring about the slamming doors, and did his best to stay what was inevitably coming and rushed to make it to the nearest restroom that he could find. The urge was growing stronger and Tsukune did everything he could to fight it as he rushed towards the end of the hallway and turned upward a flight of stairs.

Each step he took reminded him of the pain in his stomach and what might happen. Reaching the next floor, he immediately turned to the right, ran towards the end of the hallway, entered the last room on the left, and entered it, greeted with the sight of stalls, urinals, porcelain sinks, and mirrors. Not wasting anytime Tsukune ran to the first sink, he could reach and quickly turned the cold tap to full blast. Watching the basin of the sink hastily filling up with freezing cold water he could feel his queasy stomach starting to calm itself, the act of suppression becoming easier and easier. He turned the tap off before the basin started to overflow, scooped up as much water as his hands would allow, and stared into the tiny puddle that lay in his hands. His reflection stared back at him from within his hands, letting him see himself in a way that he had never seen himself before; pale, sweaty, tired. Never had he seen himself this haggard or worn out before. Tired of looking at his watery reflection he threw the cold water in his face, refreshing both his mind and body, and let it drip down to his chest. Trying to take as many deep and calming breaths as he could Tsukune could start to feel the queasiness in his stomach starting to settle down.

"You left your back wide open little pipsqueak!"

The deep and unsettling voice that came from nowhere shocked Tsukune, tearing his hands away from his face and staring directly into the mirror ahead all he could see was a giant hand being swung directly at his back. Using whatever strength his legs had left in them he leaped out of the way of the oncoming hand just in time to be pelted with bits of porcelain and splashes of freezing cold water. Turning around he came face to face with his attacker; he was a large, muscle-bound, and long spiked blonde hair. When this student turned around Tsukune could see his face clearly; high cheekbones, slightly pitted skin, a large healthy smile, and the shiny sheen of sweat all over. The student in question was not wearing the standard school uniform but rather a T-shirt that stretched across his barrel chest with the sleeves ripped off as to both accentuate and accommodate his rather large shoulders and biceps along with a pair of black workout shorts. Wary of this strange newcomer Tsukune tried to step away from him but was suddenly paralyzed with an even more intense sensation of nausea. The strange muscle bound student removed his hand from the wall; bits of tile and dust fell from his knuckles and once completely removed from the wall one of the many pipes ruptured and allowed a fine mist of water to spray the both of them. This particular student had on a winning smile, exposing all of his teeth to Tsukune, and acted like this unprovoked act of violence was the norm.

"You're quick on your feet, Aono Tsukune. But I guess you'd have to be."

This student then let out a loud laugh, like he had just said the world's greatest joke. His laugh was not evil nor sadistic, not cold, calculating, or even condescending but rather goonish. Tsukune at the moment did not care about this violent and quite possibly moronic student but was doing his best to fight the upcoming urge to vomit. His resistance was so great that his body began to shiver which this muscled goon took this as a sign of fear, laughed at him, and started to gloat.

"You scared of me, Aono Tsukune? Well I don't blame you. I'm Chopper Rikiishi the captain of Youkai Academy Wrestling Team and I'm here for your head."

Tsukune would of spoke out in protest or even question him as to why this sudden interest in wanting him dead but he was afraid that if he did open his mouth he might release whatever it was he was keeping down. Chopper on the other hand was not afraid of keeping his mouth closed. This muscle-bound loud mouth continued to talk to him as if they were having a conversation even though Tsukune had not said a single word. Chopper was too self-absorbed to notice his discomfort but just took his silence as him being in awe of his mighty presence.

"You sure did make a name for yourself in this school, taking bad asses down, but you made a mistake. That Kuyou was mine and because you took him from me I'm just gonna have to beat you down instead and since everyone thinks you're some invincible bastard it'll just boost my rep that much more!"

He seemed excited at the prospect of fighting and beating him senseless and to chopper he saw no reason not start it in this restroom. He started to advance towards him with the winning smile of a dullard and the eyes of someone who had only one thought in his head. Tsukune tried to back up as fast as he could but his stomach would not allow him to move as fast as he would've liked. While he tried to escape, he felt the mental stirrings of the eldritch creature in his head. Chopper closed in on him quickly and when he was close, enough he raised his hand ready to strike.

"What we wrestlers seek is ultimate strength!"

'_**So not Ultimate Muscle?'**_

"And you Aono Tsukune are gonna give me that!"

"No he aint."

This second voice came out from nowhere but Tsukune found it to be all too familiar. Both him and Chopper Rikiishi turned to the source of the voice and found Gin standing in the middle of the restroom doorway, keeping it open with one hand and standing on both of his feet without the assistance of a cane. Tsukune held onto his stomach as it started to churn and bubble with rage, which only aggravated the feeling in his stomach. Chopper on the other hand glared happily at the intruder, lowered his hand to his side, and had a big goofy grin on his face. All three of these students were silent and staring at one another with expressions ranging from righteous anger to cool indifference to gleeful giddiness. Gin silently removed himself from the doorway and came as close to the two of them without actually standing next to them. Through angrily squinted eyes Tsukune took in every new detail about the man he once called his friend; he seemed to favor his right leg over his left leg a little bit but his gait all-in-all seemed to be normal, the silver wolf head pendant that always hung around his neck was somewhat warped but still distinguishable, his face was covered in scratched and burns that were just about healed but despite all of this he still had that same wolfish grin plastered on his face. Chopper had a similar smile until he remembered that Tsukune was there as well. It became painfully obvious that the wheels in his head were turning and for a moment, Tsukune could swear that he smelt something burning. Watching Chopper turn from him to Gin it was clear that he was weighing his options, deciding if he would or could take on the both of them at once. He quickly came to a decision and snarled at what he believed to be his quivering prey.

"Real men fight one-on-one. Meet me on the rooftops in half an hour and we'll settle this once and for all."

With these last words, Chopper walked around the both of them, headed out of the restroom, and made his way towards the nearest staircase that lead to the higher levels of the academy. The door of the restroom slowly closed leaving Tsukune and Gin alone together for the first time. Gin turned to Tsukune for a moment and had the audacity to give him a friendly smile like nothing had happened between them then turned to the nearest urinal and unzipped. As Gin started to relieve himself, Tsukune could only stare at the back of his head in a furious rage. The more he thought about what this man had done to him while he slept the worse his rage became and soon reached the point where he had to do something about it. Slowly removing his hand from his mouth Tsukune tightened it into a fist and slowly pulled it back. Gin whistled a happy little tune while completely unaware that Tsukune was silently creeping up behind him with every intention of cracking his skull wide open. Tsukune was just about ready to beat Gin against the linoleum tiled wall when the feeling in his stomach suddenly overpowered his rage and any other emotion. The turmoil in his gut was so powerful that it was no longer contained in his stomach and started to push its way through his esophagus. This sudden upturn was too powerful for him to ignore, instead abandoned his plan of beating down Gin, pushed open one of the closest stalls, and flung himself over an open toilet seat. Tsukune started to hack, cough, and wheeze; his body trying to expel whatever it was that had lodged itself inside his throat. His body began to spasm and shake, trying its best to help him with the expulsion, his mouth filling up with clear slime and in the background; he could hear Gin's voice.

"No need to get bent out of shape over Chopper Rikiishi. He may be big but compared to what you did to Kuyou, hell after what you did to the entire school, he's nothin' but small potatoes."

Tsukune could hear him talking about what just happened moments ago and him woefully mistaking his nausea as panic induced but at the moment he did not care, so busy was his body trying to expel what ever it was stuck inside his throat. Coughing and wheezing and occasionally producing a sort of gasping belch noise he found that despite having his throat obstructed by whatever kind of glob of gunk and bile he was still able to breathe somehow and with that breath he called Gin the dirtiest name he could think of.

"Traitor"

As the words left his mouth and echoed in both the toilet bowl and stall and hugged the unfortunately warm and slightly sticky seat, with the scents of a medley of urine from different monsters accosting his nose. His hacking and strange belching wheezes were loud but Gin's wolfish voice was still able to rise above it robustly.

"Traitor? Whaddya mean traitor?...Ohhh you must mean the article I wrote about ya. Pretty good stuff huh, best I've ever written that fer damn sure."

Tsukune tried to bark out a nasty retort but was retaken with the urge to expel whatever it was that happen to take refuge in his throat. Again, he tried to spit up whatever the strange mass was but he only managed in succeeded in moving it a few centimeters, whatever this thing might be, all he knew that it was extremely stubborn and hard to get rid of. After his coughing fit, Tsukune tried his best to catch his as best as he could, trying his best to speak.

"You…made me out…as…a monster! Why?"

The sounds of Gin's stream were slowly dying down, dwindling to nothing, and him laughing at both his question and accusation.

"I just wrote about what'ver info about ya an' the situation that I could get my hands on, whether that info painted ya in a good or bad light is not my fault. Ya an' the others were not available an' the people were demanding to know more an' ya know what they say…"

Still hugging the seat of the bowl Tsukune managed to lift his head and turn enough to see Gin finishing off at the urinal. With a combination of emotions such as; angry, sick, and tired of Gin's riddles Tsukune spoke out with as sarcastic of a tone that his body would allow.

"Yeah…they say that more than…two shakes is playing…with yourself."

Gin twisted his head around, still holding onto himself, and stared at Tsukune with what could be described as mild surprise and a slightly shocked grin. After a few seconds of silence passed Gin let out what sounded like a barking laugh and reached out to flush the urinal. Chuckling under his breath gin went for the nearest sink and began to wash his hands while Tsukune went back to hugging the bowl.

"Listen Tsukune-san I'm not sayin' that I enjoyed writing about ya' but I'm a newspaper reporter an' I got to chase down the story, unfortunately this time you were the story; but I'm a fair guy an' the main reason why I'm writing a second part is to get your side an' everyone else's, I would've written my opinion too but I gotta stay neutral in order for this article to be considered unbiased."

Even though Gin's words made sense in a logical manner, the hurt behind them was still powerful. The situation was anything but logical and with Gin acting like it was only made the feeling of betrayal even from him even worse while feeling guilty for being that angry at him; Gin was a newspaper reporter he told them that from the very beginning and he was just doing what he loved, chasing down the story.

Suddenly, before he could further that train of though or delve deeper into his conflicting emotions Tsukune's throat suddenly began to spasm and the thing stuck inside of him started to lurch forward. His hacking became increasingly violent and his breathing was finally obstructed by this strange mass. Slowly the mass started to crawl its way through his esophagus and with each passing moment it choked him further. Tightly gripping the sides of the bowl his fingers futilely tried to dig themselves into its porcelain surface as he was hunched over the bowl, his mouth filling up with a singularly nasty greasy taste. His neck started to expand and the veins began to pulse out from his skin. The wad traversed its way through his esophagus and made it to his mouth and immediately gagged when his tongue mouth felt the horribly alien sensation of this mysterious wad; it viscous and grimy, like an accumulated mouthful of bad shellfish, his mouth felt like it was coated in oil and greasy slime. Never before had Tsukune tasted such a disgusting thing in his mouth, for a few minutes he thought that never again would he be able to taste anything else for the rest of his life when the thing finally left his mouth.

Horrified he was when he saw what was stuck inside his throat and now hung from his gaping mouth; it was a giant wad of some kind of greasy charcoal-black sludge. This thing that hung from his mouth was a thick gelatinous gob of gunk that held a similar color and viscosity as oil and held an odor similar to rotten fruit and meat. Temporarily it hung from Tsukune's mouth, clinging to his teeth, terrifying him when the thought of this unknown thing being stuck and possibly produced by him. Finally, after a few moments of this black glob swinging from his teeth it released whatever ghastly grip it had in his mouth and fell into the toilet bowl as one rancid spherical object and fell to the water with the strangest effect he ever saw. The water did not ripple or splash back at him, but rather, when the orb of sludge touched the toilet water, it disappeared underneath without disturbing its surface. While that in itself was strange the strangest part was the water within the toilet bowl had turned into the same oily gunk that the sphere was. Like a cauldron, the black sludge in the bowl bubbled evilly and with each bubble that popped released a tiny noxious cloud of toxic fumes that spewed into his face, burning both his eyes and his sinuses.

Releasing the tight grip he had around the rim of the bowl Tsukune slumped to the side of the stall and while gasping in exhaustion he watched with tired eyes the horrific transformation of the toilet he just expelled into; ebony spider-veins grew downward from the toilet tank and towards the base and pulsated with mock life, slowly the porcelain was turning from a creamy white to an almost deathly gray color, the porcelain surface then started to warp and whorl until tiny cracks appeared and with that the sludge slowly started to seep through and congeal when it hit the air. For a moment, it seemed like the toilet stopped changing when a small oily black mushroom cloud erupted out from the bowl, exuding a foul stench in the process. Tsukune saw all of this and instead of being terrified, he was simply disgusted and wearily turned his head away from the now disfigured bowl and saw Gin staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth that showed both horror and fascination.

"Whoa man…"

Tsukune slumped his head away from Gin and back to the bowl with only one thought coursing through his mind.

'_What the hell?'_

'_**Yeah necrotic leftovers can be a real bitch to deal with but it has to be dealt with.'**_

'_Neco-what?'_

'_**Necrotic leftovers or necro for short, it's the culmination of all those little indigestible soul bits that are even too tough for me to keep down.'**_

The stench that emanated from the toilet bowl was evil to say the least and Gin inched his way towards Tsukune while keeping the intention of staying as far away from the smoking bowl. Tsukune sat in the corner ignoring both the bowl and Gin while he and the creature in his head were conversing about the glob that he had just spewed.

'_You said bits of soul. What do you mean by that?'_

'_**You know what a soul is right; A person's being, one's true essence, the total sum of a mortal's parts. All of that and more I consumed but unfortunately not all of it could be properly digested and had to be removed.'**_

With his head swimming in all of the confusion of the situation, the only thing that Tsukune felt was right was to grab his head and try to rub away the migraine he was experiencing.

'_I don't understand, I thought you feed on blood like Moka-san? And how could you eat a soul?'_

The malignant spirit in his head laughed at his question. It was not its normal condescending laugh but rather this time it was booming and erratic, almost like it was put into hysterics by the pure innocence of his curiosity and treated it as something that should be embarrassing and shameful to possess.

'_**I suspected that you were ignorant but this is just too good. My palette is as diverse as my tastes for pleasure and destruction. I feed on both the material and immaterial; the flesh, bones, blood, souls, reviews-'**_

'_What was that last one?'_

'_**Souls.'**_

Too tired to argue with the creature Tsukune continued rubbing his temples and listened to the beast within. The thing in his head spoke to him in a quiet and dangerous tone of voice, a tone that he never heard it use before. It spoke slowly as if to counter the possibility of confusion, put emphasis on every syllable as to make sure that Tsukune understood the seriousness of its words but the most important thing that he took notice most of all was the tone of pure enjoyment.

'_**Fueled by twisted dreams, fed on dark desires, and feasting on those deepest wishes that mortals dare not speak aloud. The scents of fear drive me and the screams of those unfortunate victims who cross my path. All of these things and more keep me well nourished and what you saw just now was the expulsion of all of that.'**_

'_The expulsion of souls? You've been stealing souls from the students!'_

'_**Nothing so dramatic, I gather the souls of the deceased and that was only during the little 'boost' I told you about earlier.'**_

'_How does a boost constitute eating souls?'_

'_**I suppose your right on that. I guess I misspoke once again when I called it a 'boost' when a 'switch' is the more appropriate word.'**_

From within the perpetual feelings of exhaustion and nausea Tsukune felt a sudden shock to his system. Before he knew it everything about what had happened to him; the irrational fear of the students and staff, the newspaper article written about him, Moka's strange behavior, it was all because somehow the evil spirit trapped within the mask had taken over his body and Tsukune had absolutely no memory of it whatsoever. He was scared; the idea of him and the maleficent beast switching places terrified him more than anything else did. For nearly six months, this relic of iniquity had been attached to him and through all that time Tsukune listened to the evil words it spewed into his ear, every morbid scenario that it put into his head, and felt every one of its twisted intentions. The idea of this thing being set free sent his head into a tailspin.

'_Dear sweet…you killed someone! That's the only explanation, that's the reason why everyone would be afraid of me!'_

'_**Wrong douchebag! I wanted to kill, oh how I wanted to kill, but I couldn't. For you see when we struck that deal I agreed that I would not harm or kill those who you care about or consider friends but of course I did not take into account the fact the goody-fuckin'-two-shoes and free love crap mentality of yours you think that everybody can be friends and because of that I was barely able to do anything fun! However I can't help but wonder about that last one…can't help but wonder if I had a little more time…'**_

It ended that sentence, leaving it hanging in the air while Tsukune sat on the dirty tile floor of the restroom and leaned against the stall, looking at all of the words, names, and dirty limericks scribbled or carved into its four walls. Gin came as close as he wanted to Tsukune without coming to close to the toilet, which was now absent of any water but was giving off that wispy oily smoke still. He could see that Tsukune was weary from this incident and when he looked into the boy's eyes, he could truly see how tired he was.

"It's not fair…"

Gin could here those three words spoken softly by Tsukune and in response he crouched down and quietly listened to him; taking in every word that the exhausted boy had to say. His tone was tired and quiet, almost incomprehensible. The way he worded what he was saying and his body language was depressing and Tsukune did not seem to care.

"It's not fair…I didn't ask for any of this, I didn't even ask to come to this school but here I am. Why? That's all I want to know…what could I have possibly done in this life or the next to deserve this punishment. I just wanted to live a normal life and be normal but no matter how hard I try or how far I reach it always manages to slip through my fingers. I just want to be like everyone else but I never had the chance. This school treats me like a fiend…but I'm not…I want to be, is that too much to ask?...I just…I just…I just…"

That seemed to be the end of Tsukune's speech; it came to the point where he became so absorbed in his depression that he managed to get himself into a mental loop and did not look like he was going to stop anytime soon. Wanting to calm the boy down as quickly but as calmly as possible Gin decided to forgo his worries about the smoking pile of porcelain and settled himself next to Tsukune who did not even seem to notice him. The boy continued to go through the loop until the werewolf placed his surprisingly well-manicured hand on his shoulder and gently shook him out of it. Tsukune jolted out of surprise when Gin touched him and twisted his head until he was staring him directly in the eyes. It soon became quite clear how tired Tsukune was; his eyes were nearly bloodshot, his skin was white and sagging slightly. Gin soon realized that Tsukune had been taking everything hard and he felt for the boy.

"Listen Tsukune-san I guess I should've thought about ya before writin' that article. Is there anything I can do to make it up?"

Tsukune stared at him for a few seconds, his features calming down considerably. Easily Gin could tell that he was thinking long and hard about Gin's proposition making said werewolf nervous and wishing that he could take back his offer; what if the boy said he wanted to hit him, or walk the down the halls stark naked, or perhaps something even worse; to give up women! Gin watched anxiously as Tsukune opened his mouth to speak, his breath giving off the same stench as the noxious fumes exuding from the disfigured bowl, the words were on the tip of the boy's tongue when they were both interrupted by a loud cracking sound. The both of them turned away from each other and turned their attentions to the toilet in front of them.

At first, the toilet only seemed to have infinitesimally small cracks and porcelain chips fell from the tank but eventually the cracks grew and the chips turned into shards. The both of them watched in fascination as the smoking sickly-gray porcelain throne before them crumble before there eyes, leaving only a pile of gray porcelain silt and a rusted pipe jutting out of the wall spewing out a very fine mist of dust. The both of them sat silently as they watched this happen Gin could hear Tsukune taking in a breath and talking at the back of his head.

"I'm still hungry."

* * *

(Academy-Rooftops)

Looking out across the school's landscape was Moka. She stood at least ten feet away from the edge because of the railing that used to surround the entire edge of the rooftop was destroyed and had yet to be replaced. The girl could feel a powerful gust of wind blowing around her school-issued skirt and pushing against her back, adding to the sense of danger that she was already feeling as Moka had a perfect bird's-eye view of the school grounds. The sun hung high in the sky and burned brightly down on her head. The sight was beautiful in its own way; there were not as many tombstones as before but the trees that were destroyed a week ago were being replaced with ones that were transplanted out from the edge of the forest that hugged the edge of the school grounds and transplanted all over the school grounds, scorch marks were still present in several places while most of the smaller craters were gone and the larger ones were being filled in by whatever workers were out on the grounds, who both looked like and worked like tiny ants. Moka would have normally felt content by the silence and clarity that usually came to her when she gazed out from the rooftops but this time they both eluded her as her mind was occupied with thoughts of Tsukune and her actions towards him.

Her memory focused mainly on the look of betrayal and anger and his words to her that were filled with disappointment aimed at her. All of these feeling stewed in the pit of her stomach making her sick while her mind tried to rationalize everything that happened and the actions she took in order to protect him; at the time with everything that was going on between the students and the shocking way that the entire Public Safety Commission was defeated at the hands of whatever possibly took over him, because she was one hundred percent sure that that thing was not the Tsukune she or any of her friends knew, and added to the fact that it attacked the academy building and came up close and personal with several of the students only added to the hysteria, her mind told her that what she did was the right course of action while her heart told her that what she did was absolutely dreadful. With her mind and heart fought against each other her entire body began to ache everywhere and the only thing she felt that she could do was mutter a single word under her breath.

"Baka…"

Even as the word passed Moka's soft lips she immediately regretted calling Tsukune an idiot but she still felt like after all she did for him and to have him act like that towards her was pretty selfish of him. All-in-all Moka felt so many conflicting emotions inside of her that her body began to hurt from all of the stress and in response to it; she wrapped her arms around her body tight and dug her chin into her ample chest. She held this position for a few minutes, trying to decompress all of these raw conflicting emotions when she heard the sound of the rooftop door behind her opening and closing. For a moment Moka's heart leapt into her chest at the possibility of Tsukune coming to see her and apologizing to her that she spun around with her eyes a sparkle with glee only to have that sparkle extinguished when she saw that it was not Tsukune but rather somebody she had never met before.

The student was much taller than she was, maybe by a foot in a half, sandy blond hair that was cut short in some places and left long in others almost giving the impression that he did not care about the way his hair looked or that he cut his own hair. It was clear that this student was an athlete of some kind because of his massive muscular bulk, which was barely covered by a flimsy T-shirt and a pair of ripped blue shorts. The two of them stared at one another for a few moments, not sure what to make of the other, when the male student was the first to make a move and walked towards her at a calm but brisk pace. Moka turned her head away from him even though he stopped and stood right next to her and stared out to the beautiful blue sky. The large student did the same as her but crossed his arms together and stared off into the skyline with a big self-satisfied grin. The both of them stood in silence; Moka was still and too absorbed in her conflicting thoughts to really pay any mind to the other student but occasionally she could feel his gaze temporarily fall on her and quickly turn back to the skyline. The silence was deafening between the two and the sense of urgency that the other student gave off to Moka was palpable but the pink haired girl did not move or even respond to it until the large student finally spoke up.

"Huh…Listen miss I don't mean to be rude and all but I was wonderin' if you could…I don't know…scram? I'm a kinda meeting somebody up here pretty soon and it's probably gonna get really nasty… so yeah."

Moka listened to him but his words meant nothing to her, she was too absorbed with the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions to really care about what he was saying but her soft and kind nature would not allow her to be completely rude to this unknown student. So without divulging too much information she took in a deep sigh and quietly spoke aloud.

"I'm actually hoping to meet somebody here myself."

Moka turned away from the skyline and looked to the male student who was staring down at her too. The both of them were quiet for a moment but the male student was the first to extend his hand to her and she graciously accepted it with a tiny smile on her face.

"I'm Chopper Rikiishi."

"And my name is Akashiya Moka; it is very nice to meet you."

The two of them shook hands for a moment then let go and returned to gazing at the skyline. Moka was staring outward at the blue sky with a little smile on her face, the turmoil that plagued both her mind and stomach was a bit calmer, a little happier that there was somebody next to her that was not angry at her. Chopper was silent for a moment but turned his head to her again and started to talk.

"So why are you waiting for your guy up here?"

Moka answered him while still looking out to the skyline.

"He usually comes up here to think and I was kinda hoping that he would show up here soon so that we could talk. Mind if I ask why you are up here?"

"Me? I'm up here so I can put a serious smack down on this punk I just met and prove to him that he ain't as tough as he thinks he is. Dude was so scared of me that he and a buddy of his tried to jump me but I put them in their place and the guy was such a sore loser that he challenged me to a second fight up here on the roof."

"I don't like fighting."

"Yeah well I'm a wrestler so fighting kind of what I do and besides I'm the captain of the wrestling team so when that punk I told you about challenged me I couldn't back out of it."

Chopper stopped talking and waited for Moka to respond but she did not, she was again too absorbed with the reoccurring thoughts of what she did and how Tsukune reacted to the news. Before Chopper made her happy by keeping her company but her thoughts had gotten the best of her and now all she could think about was the reaction Tsukune gave and the self-doubt that came from the idea that she did something wrong. For a moment, she turned towards Chopper, as if she was going to say something to him, but stopped herself when Chopper looked down on her with curious eyes. Quickly finding her voice, she tentatively asked a simple question.

"C-Can I ask you a question?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied 'Sure' and waited for her to ask her question. Moka took in a deep breath and steeled herself for what she was about to say, thinking of how she would ask him without saying too much.

"Suppose that you had a friend, and that friend was in trouble but they did not know it and suppose that you knew and wanted to help them but the only way you could think of wasn't at all…honest but you do it anyway and it works. Say that you keep your actions hidden from your friend and they find out anyway and say that what you did was more horrible than the thing that you were protecting them from. Were you wrong in protecting them or should you of had let them meet that trouble head on?"

Even though she spoke so rapidly and vaguely that most of it went over Chopper Rikiishi's head but luckily for Moka, the giant blond grasped the general gist of what she was asking him. The giant brought his hand to his chin and raised one eyebrow, giving off a look of deep and pensive thought. For a few seconds Moka waited anxiously for Chopper's answer and was rewarded for her patience when the giant blond came to a decision.

"Well I guess it depends on what you did. Did you haf'ta hurt someone?"

Moka vigorously shook her head.

"Did you haf'ta steal something?"

Again, Moka vigorously shook her head.

"Well then was this kind of trouble your friend was in dangerous?"

This time Moka nodded and Chopper continued to think deeply and reaching a conclusion, he spoke out with the same confidence that seemed to be his default tone of voice.

"I don't see how you could possibly be wrong if what you said was true."

When the words left Chopper's mouth, Moka's eyes lit up with delight, which made the boy very happy. Once again, Moka turned away from Chopper to look out to the skyline with a happy grin on her face.

"I knew what I did was the right thing to do and so will Tsukune."

That little slip of the tongue went unnoticed by Moka but not Chopper Rikiishi. He caught the name soon realized that this girl had something to do with Aono Tsukune. At first he thought that this girl was here to distract him and help lower his guard so that Tsukune could ambush him but now that he knew that this girl had something to do with him he was not going to fall further prey to her tricks, as a matter of fact a nasty smile came to his face as he turned to Moka with an idea of extremely despicable proportions.

* * *

(Girl's Dormitory)

Deep within the academy's girl's dormitory, on the third floor, the hallway was filled with open doors and occupants racing down the halls and traversing the stairwells. Each and every girl talked excitedly; some about the week without classes and others about people they were meaning to meet up with later in the day but most were talking about the recent sighting of Aono Tsukune, the boy who nearly brought the entire academy down during the fight with the leader of the Public Safety Commission and who had not been seen since until this morning. In all of the rush of girls running all over it was very easy for anyone to miss one of the few doors that remained closed and even locked. It was the door that was exactly in the middle of the hallway and behind it were not one but rather two occupants who wanted nothing to do with the hysteria outside of the door.

Inside the room was most likely one of the most feminine rooms in the entire dormitory building. There was no ugly purple shag carpeting, but instead beautiful hard wood floors with several corded thrown rugs placed at the door, under a tiny table where the little witch Yukari sat with a steaming cup of tea, a deck of Tarot cards, and a crystal ball the size of a runty grapefruit and finally the last one was at the foot of a four-poster bed, next to a pair of cotton-white slippers. The four-poster bed was covered with a mother-of-pearl pink comforter and several fluffy goose-down pillows littered all over its surface, smothering its occupant with their soft comfort. At the top of each post of polished oak hung a thin veil of silk, which was drawn back on all four sides revealing the depressed form of Kurumu. The blue-haired succubus lay in her pink bed with nothing but an oversized shirt and underwear that was covered by the shirt. She had her head buried in some of the many pillows that covered the surface of her bed in an attempt to hide her tearstained lavender eyes and awfully tussled hair from the little witch in the corner.

It had nearly been a week since Kurumu had left her room or even taken a shower in the private restroom that was built into every room of the girl dormitory and to say the least she felt gross. For three days, she locked her door and refused to let anybody in, including friends, as she cried through each of those days until she eventually fell asleep; finally after the third day she let in only Yukari who only sat at Kurumu's table and silently listened to her friend's continuous wailing. This went on for the rest of the week; Kurumu would sob while Yukari listened in silence and only leave to get food for each of them and more than once she slept over and lay on the floor, listening to the girls weep on through the night.

For what the girl was crying about was none other about the boy she had proclaimed her love for so many times before and the incident the encounter she had with him during the fight between him and Kuyou. Over and over, she recalled the memory of what she claimed to be not Tsukune but rather some sort ghastly being that followed him from the other side and took over his body during the fight. The way that the thing looked into her eyes and spoke in that deep menacing boom that could be considered a voice shook the poor girl to her very core and it still haunted her to this very moment. When the notion of her beloved being possessed by a creature as vile and destructive as that only made her cry even harder. Yukari listened to every word she spoke halfheartedly and agreed with every word that she said, even the bits about the thing not being Tsukune but some spirit from the other side. Silently sipping at her cup of tea Yukari scanned around at all of the stuffed animals that surrounded the room until her eyes landed on two picture frames that were atop a bedside table. The first picture was a picture of the entire Newspaper club standing side by side, smiling and waving at the camera, and the last ne was a blow-up shot of Tsukune from the same picture. He was smiling a big toothy grin and from what Yukari could gather it was most likely the last thing that Kurumu saw every night before falling asleep.

After a while, Yukari stopped nursing the cup of tea in her hands and laid it down beside her then turned her attention to the Tarot cards in front of her. One by one, she flipped over the cards and laid them each in a specific order, allowing the cards before her to tell her a story that was peculiar to say the least. She 'Hmmed' lightly which was enough to incite Kurumu's naturally curious nature but not enough to completely get her out of her funk and with some muscle on her part, Kurumu managed to force her entire body in a 180 and throw her legs over the side of the bed and look towards Yukari with runny eyes and a sniffling nose.

"W-What's the m-m-matter?"

Yukari was still staring down at her cards as she answered the blue-haired succubus with a serious yet lightly baffled sort of voice.

"I'm trying to predict Tsukune-kun and Moka-chan's future's with my cards but something strange keeps happening. No matter how many cards I draw I can't seem to get a definitive answer."

Again, more tears started to run down the girl's face while emitting a high-pitched whine but this time it was for different reasons. Throwing herself off from her bed and to the floor Kurumu dragged herself from the foot of her bed to the table where the tiny witch sat then threw her head onto its surface with a loud 'THUD'. Staring up from her spot, she looked up at the witch with large watery eyes and a quivering mouth.

"W-Why do y-you want my Tsukune-k-kun with Moka-chan?"

"Well definitely not to get one step closer to fulfilling my fantasy that's for sure!"

The little witch was clearly flustered just as Kurumu was clearly confused by her sudden denial of something that she never suspected in the first place. After an awkward silence between the two Yukari did her best to save some face and returned all the cards to the deck and shuffled them carefully. Kurumu watched while still tearing up around the eyes but she kept quiet, especially when Yukari slammed the deck of cards back down onto the table. Kurumu was silent as she watched the little witch, deep within her own element, pulled out seven cards from her deck all of which were face down and ready to be flipped. Reaching for the one on the far left she flipped it over to reveal the picture of a man hung from a tree by his foot.

"The 'Hanged Man' or 'The Fool' often a sign of dumb luck but alas it is inverted and so is its meaning. This card represents Aono Tsukune."

Kurumu listened to the girl talk on about the card and its meaning until she herself spoke aloud, asking questions that she could not keep in.

"So that means it's bad luck? When or did it happen? Maybe Tsukune's going to be in trouble? What are you trying to say?"

Yukari shook her head, unable to answer the girl's many questions and resumed to flip over the next card. It was soon reveled as the picture of a regal woman holding a golden plate with a pentagram carved in its middle. Yukari once again spoke aloud making sure to explain the meaning of the card.

"The 'Queen of Pentacles' a symbol of feminine power and grace; in this case it is Akashiya Moka and the meaning behind this is quite clear."

For once when it came to Moka, Kurumu agreed with Yukari and decided against going any further into the reason she came up as the 'Queen of Pentacles'. Yukari turned to the next card and flipped it over to reveal an image that nearly scared the girl witless. The card revealed a pale and gaunt looking horse carrying a knight clad in black armor and with his helmet taken off to reveal a skull.

"Third card 'Death' represents a change that may have or will happen."

Kurumu started to calm down when Yukari reached for the fourth card and successfully destroyed whatever calm she had regained; it was a red being, tall and muscular, with one hand raised and with two fingers pointing up, lower jaw covered with a thick and curly gray beard and two ram's horns sprouting from his forehead, this card clearly held the image of the devil and below him were two nude figures, a man and a woman both with forked tails and tiny horns. Kurumu's heart leapt into her throat, which was the only thing that prevented her from gasping out in terror when she saw this card while Yukari began to explain the meaning behind the card.

"The fourth card 'The Devil' is the master of all deceit and clouds the truth with lies but again this card is inverted."

Kurumu looked up from the card and started to ask more questions.

"Inverted? So that means that there are no lies between Tsukune-kun and Moka-san, right?"

Yukari did not reply right away, it looked like she was thinking hard about something that was bothering her but should not be. It took her awhile, but eventually Yukari did answer Kurumu's question but not in that default tone of snarky intelligence but rather of one who was postulating a hypothesis out loud for the first time.

"I don't think that's what it means, not this time. No I think that this time it still means that there is an unspoken truth but instead of it being clouded with lies, it is being covered up by other truths and perhaps half ones at that."

Kurumu did not quite understand what Yukari was talking about; clouding truths with more truths and Yukari having a feeling against her own cards but Yukari did not let her finish those thoughts when she reached for the fifth card and flipped it over. The moment she flipped the card over Yukari gasped aloud in shock while Kurumu looked confused more than anything else.

"Is there suppose to be more than one of those?"

Just as Kurumu asked when Yukari flipped the fifth card, it was another 'The Devil' card, inverted just like the first one, and Yukari sat in stunned silence as the card stared back at her from upside-down. She no longer held that 'one with the mystical energies of the universe' demeanor and instead grasped the sixth card and flipped it over. Again, when the sixth card was flipped it revealed another 'The Devil' in the exact same position and when she went for the seventh and last card it was yet another 'The Devil' card. Yukari stared in confused terror at the cards. A sense of dread and fear was rising in her gut until she could no longer contain herself and in a fit of fear, she slapped the cards from the table and watched them fall to the ground like scattering leaves.

Kurumu watched Yukari's overreaction with silent interest as the little witch did her best to calm down from her sudden panic-induced outburst. After a while when the little witch came down from her fear high Kurumu looked at the girl silently, eyes still slightly teary and lips quivering lightly, the succubus sat patiently waiting for the witch. Yukari did not understand what it was exactly that she wanted but she noticed that her eyes kept darting off to the side, almost like she was being signaled to the object of Kurumu's desire. Taking the hint Yukari followed the girl's line of sight and soon was staring directly at her own crystal ball. Taking the message Yukari reached out and pulled it closer to her. Unmistakably still shaken by the cards Yukari was a little hesitant to stare into the crystal ball but she swallowed whatever fear that she had and stared deeply into the ball in front of her.

The room was deathly silent as both girls stared into the crystal ball; Yukari trying to divine the future of both Moka and Tsukune while Kurumu was just watching for the sake of watching while waiting for Yukari to finish. It took the little witch a while but when her eyes widened very so slightly Kurumu could tell that she was beginning to see something deep within the crystal ball and by the way of her expressions and the way her eyes moved it was interesting to say the least. Kurumu was silent for as long as she could but eventually her curious nature got the best of her and she started to ask questions about the images that swam within the crystal.

"What's wrong? Is it about Tsukune-kun? Is he hurt?"

Yukari did not answer Kurumu's questions right away because she did not know how to answer them for what she saw within the crystal ball were not images of Tsukune but rather a severe lack of them; no matter how hard she tried to conjure up anything about the boy's future she was met with only fog. Immediately she tried to come up with any image of Tsukune's future but she was met with even more obstructing fog but still she tried to find something, anything, which would give her some idea into the boy's future. It soon came to the point where Yukari was pushing both her body and mind to the point of exhaustion in trying to get some glimmer of Tsukune's future when she was rewarded with the sight of something.

At first, she did not know what it was; to her it looked like twin lights burning far away in the background of the fog but eventually the lights began to burn brighter and brighter until they no longer resembled candle light but rather two identical burning flames. Yukari did not understand what they were but she felt as though she was being watched by some entity far beyond her or any mortal understanding. Her eyes were locked with the will-o-wisps within her crystal ball and felt the same terror and confusion that she had with the cards only this time she did not slap the ball off the table but tried to will herself to break contact with the yellow flames that glowed evilly from deep within the crystal. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not lose herself within the terror-induced madness that was trying to invade her mind but unfortunately, it was not enough to break contact with whatever malignant spirit had wormed its way into her crystal and blocked any attempt on her part to find out anything about the future of Aono Tsukune. Staring right into the eyes of whatever this thing was Yukari's eyes started to scream as they were drying and she blinked once to relieve them and the image was gone, disappeared like it was never there and all that was left was the serene clarity of the crystal.

Yukari did not understand what had happened, never in her short life had that ever happened to her whenever she tried divining somebody's future and the only thing that she could come up with to explain this horrid phenomenon was that something powerful did not want her prying eyes anywhere near Tsukune. Kurumu had waited for Yukari and the witch finally responded to the succubus's question with a simple shrug of the shoulders and told her that she saw nothing that she should be worried about. Kurumu squinted at the witch with scrutiny but because she herself saw nothing in the crystal, she had to take her word for it and dropped the case all together. Yukari on the hand was still shaken by what she saw, but hid it well enough that Kurumu did not seem to suspect a thing about what just happened. After several minutes of taking deep breaths through her nose and calmed herself down enough to gaze back into the crystal ball however this time it was not for Tsukune, she had learned her lesson, but this time for Moka.

Once more, she gazed deeply into her crystal ball and concentrated all of her thoughts and energies into finding out the future about Moka. The inside of the crystal ball fog appeared once more but unlike before this fog lifted and showed Yukari, and only Yukari, the future that was held for Moka. Kurumu still watched in silence but this time she knew that something bad was going on inside the crystal ball as Yukari was visibly upset by what she was seeing inside the crystal; her eyes widened and her hand reached up to her mouth as if to stifle a loud gasp. Even more than before Kurumu wanted to know what the witch saw but before she had the chance to ask the tiny girl bolted up from her spot and rushed towards the door and opened it and disappeared out into the crowd within the hallway.

* * *

(Yukari)

The tiny witch had just exited from the girl's dormitory building, was rushing across the school grounds, and raced towards the academy building as fast as her little legs would carry her. The sound of feet beating against the dirt was only drowned out by the sound of her shallow breathing as she tried to get to the academy building as fast as she could. It did not take her long to arrive at the academy's front gate and when she did she looked directly upwards and saw to lone figures on top of the academy rooftops, standing next to each other and possibly talking, Yukari knew what was about to happen and immediately rushed towards the academy doors and flung them open. Almost at once, she was greeted with the sight of students stampeding through the hallways all of them wanting to get to where they all wanted to go but Yukari knew that she did not have anytime to waste a thought on them and immediately charged into the thick of the crowd.

She waded through the thick of the crowd and tried her best to reach the nearest staircase. She tried to avoid knee strikes from any passerby's who did not notice her tiny presence and waded through the thick of the crowd until she pushed her way through and reached one of the many stairwells that went to the next floor. Reaching the next floor, she was met with just as many students rushing to their own destination. Once more without wasting a moment of time, the little witch charged into the crowd without worrying about her own safety and tried to get to the next stairwell at the end of the hallway. Just like the floor below Yukari fought her way to the end of the hallway and made it to the nearest stairwell that headed to the next floor.

Again and again, she repeated this process, heading towards the higher floors of the academy and fighting her way through the crowds of students. Despite her doing everything in her power to reach the top as fast as she could, Yukari could not help but notice that the higher she did go the fewer students there seemed to be. At one point when she reached the second to last floor, she realized that it was absolutely deserted. Almost like a quarantine zone, but that did not slow her down a bit and instead only encouraged her to speed up one last time and pushed herself through the last two floors and rushed up the last stairwell and burst through the steel door that lead to the rooftops.

Yukari's eyes were bombarded with sunlight and her tiny body caught the brunt of a sudden gust of wind, almost lifting her off the ground, but that was not enough to stop her but rather slowed her down. Before she could yell out, the sound of a feminine scream caught her attention and when she turned the image, she saw was the same as the one she saw within her crystal ball minutes before. A large hulking creature with grayish-green skin that was covered in what appeared to be moss stood about ten feet away from where Yukari stood, the creature stood on overly flat feet that had abnormally squared toes and powerful looking legs, just above the legs were a pair of overly stretched shorts and above that were a set of abs so thick and powerful that they almost looked like they were carved from the face of some mossy boulder. The further up this thing Yukari examined the greater her anxiety became until she stopped at the face. The expression this thing had was almost like the expression that an overly-confident dullard would perpetually have on their face while it was worsened by the extra features that grew from the transformation; jutting from the underside of his chin two tiny tusks had managed their way out along with a set of triangular teeth poking out from his mouth from a wicked under-bite. His face looked cragged like rock and patches of green splashed across the skin's surface gave off that mossy stone look.

Yukari tried to cry out but the giant cut her off with an almost animalistic growl and stared the little witch directly in the eye and effectively silencing her. Not one for subtly the true form of Chopper Rikiishi moved his hand in front of his chest, showing off the dazed form of Akashiya Moka gripped tightly in his hand. Chopper himself was panting like an angry beast and spoke in a maniacal and fanatic voice.

"She thought that she could trick me but I am too smart for that! Now that I got his woman I want his head! Get me Aono Tsukune, get him to me in half an hour or else…"

Without a moments hesitation the troll-like Chopper Rikiishi placed his thumb just under her chin and slowly pushed against her. Yukari could see Moka's neck straining against the force exerted by the troll's thumb; muscles were tearing and the veins in her neck beginning to pop. It was clear that Moka would not last the full half hour if Yukari did not get Tsukune to the mad troll, so without argument or attempting to talk Chopper out of his ridiculous request the witch girl turned around and ran back down the stairwells.

Yukari had no idea of where Tsukune could be at that moment and the idea of finding him within half an hour in this school was simply too ridiculous, the idea of finding him in three days would have been ridiculous, but her normally calculating and rational mind would have told her that but gone was her rationality and her mind was now just an absolute blank. She continued to run through the halls wildly and flying down the stairwells until she finally struck a floor that had people. At first she wanted to yell out for Tsukune but her rational mind finally caught up to her and told her that screaming his name in the middle of the crowded hallway, especially after the release of Gin's article, that would be like the equivalent of screaming shark at an crowded beach; it would only cause mass panic. For a moment she stood perfectly still in the moving crowd, a lone island among a sea of people, when she suddenly remembered that she had a time restriction and that she could not afford to waste a single moment of time.

Again, the girl began to run wildly throughout the hallways while secretly hoping to find some clue as to the whereabouts of Tsukune. Running through the crowd it took the girl awhile but she realized that everybody in this particular hallway were not acting like normal students and staff but rather like they were concerned about something and they were all trying to get away from that something. Not knowing as to what was causing this mass exodus of students Yukari for a few minutes, much against her instincts, she followed some of the students in hope of finding out what was the problem on this floor. It did not take long for her to blend in with a group of particularly chatty girls and silently she listened to them nervously talk about exactly what she was waiting to here about.

"I can't believe that that thug had the nerve to show up to the academy after nearly a week, today on our last day no less, ruining or peace and quiet!"

"I know and the way he's acting too! Like nothing had happened and like everything's normal when he practically terrorized the entire school no less…"

"What I can't believe is that Gin guy is with him too! He seems so nice and charming so I can't understand why he would be in the same cafeteria as him, maybe he's being held hostage or maybe making sure that that Tsukune person doesn't get out of control."

Once she heard about Tsukune being in the academy dining hall Yukari removed herself from the group of students, turned around, and began to fight against the waves of students and staff members, trying to free herself from the thick of the student body. Fighting against the crowd, she tried to get to the dining hall as fast as she could not caring about her own well-being. Soon the crowd started to thin out and it finally became possible for her to break through the crowd of fleeing students and freely make her way to the dining hall which was not that far from where she was.

Yukari flew down the hall as fast as her legs would take her and passed by numerous classes and various other rooms, all of which were locked shut. The hall was nearly deserted and the dining hall doors were in sight; tall and made of solid oak with brass handles Yukari threw herself to one of the handles and grasped it with both hands. She pulled against it with all of her weight and slowly the heavy wooden door's hinges creaked open and she slipped through the crack. The dining hall was beautifully crafted to say the least; the room was rectangular in shape, the walls were made from a type of white sand stone while the roof of the whole room curved, there was at least a hundred polished oak tables set up in four rows of twenty five and in the middle of the second row sat both Tsukune and Gin.

Gin sat across from the boy with nothing but a cup of tea in his hands and a half-eaten sandwich laying in front of him but instead of giving either his attention he instead sat quietly and extremely dumbfounded as he watched Tsukune. The boy in question was too busy scarfing down his third helping of some kind of chicken dish and washing it down with a whole carton of milk to really care about Gin staring at him. The ravenous hunger that he experienced this morning had returned to him with a vengeance after his sickness spell passed and now he was trying to sate this hunger. So far he had consumed: three portions of chicken breasts, legs, wings followed by three quarts of rice each, two twelve-inch sub sandwiches filled with assorted Italian meats and cheeses, a baker's dozen of steamed and fried pork, beef, and duck dumplings, several open tin cans of vegetables and finally two whole pots of tea and two cartons of milk. Tsukune continued to wolf down this exorbitant amount of food and in-between bites Tsukune wondered if Gin was now regretting his offer to make it up to him especially since that he had to pay for every scrap of food that he was consuming and had no intention of stopping any time soon. Tsukune found that even with everything that had happened to him; students avoiding him like the plague, the whole article written about him, the fight he got into with Moka, he found some comfort in eating the delicious food that was served in the academy dining hall.

It did not take much but when Tsukune heard the sounds of tiny feet running on the floors of the dining hall he stopped chewing and twisted himself around and saw Yukari coming right towards them, almost tripping over herself and panting like a marathon runner. Mouth still full of food Tsukune jumped out from his seat and grabbed the little witch by the shoulders and knelt down until they were both at eye level. The boy was chewing his food at an hurried pace so that he could ask her what was the matter without having to worry about spitting bits of un-chewed food at the girl but the witch did not wait for him to finish. She started to hyperventilate while trying to talk, it was difficult, but she did manage to relay the few keywords of her message.

"Moka…trouble…rooftops…30 minutes…"

Even though it could be considered less than a sentence, it was more than enough for Tsukune to know what Yukari was trying to tell him. The memory of Chopper's call-out for him to meet him on the rooftops of the academy was still fresh in his mind and several times both he and Moka went to the rooftops in order to clear their minds from the stresses of life, or in his case the stresses of his life, being the only human in a school of mythical monsters who treated him like the nightmare while having an evil spirit taking root in his psyche and unable to find the courage to get closer to Moka, so that idea of her going up to the roof after their fight in the library was not so fantastic. With the minimal contact that he had with Chopper Rikiishi and his violent personality he was not sure what he was going to do to her, if Chopper was willing to attack Tsukune when his back was turned all on the opportunity of upping his own reputation he could only guess what he would do to Moka if he knew that she was his closest friend.

Not caring about the food in his mouth Tsukune got up from his crouched position and ran towards the exit, ignoring Gin who was just sitting at the table listening to the both of them, Yukari who sat down panting at the table, Tsukune headed straight towards the exit.

* * *

(Rooftops)

It did not take Tsukune long to get to the academy rooftops, the boy fought through the strain that he put on his muscles and the cramps in his stomach but it only took him around ten minutes to get to the rooftops. The food that was once being chewed had now turned into a lump of emulsion, but none of that bothered him as much as the giant troll grasping Moka in his oversized hand. From what Tsukune saw this was most definitely the true form of Chopper Rikiishi; oversized and more grotesquely muscled than even the mask would turn him, tiny horns and tusks sprouting all over his face, and his skin had the apparent texture and look of an old mossy boulder. The thing in front of him was ugly and appropriate for Chopper but he was not concerned with his looks and was more concerned with the hostage he had literally in the palm of his hand. Chopper on the other hand did not seem as concerned with Moka and was more interested in Tsukune.

"Thought you were smart in sending this bitch in distracting me than getting me with my back turned but I'm smarter than you thought! Didn't think you stoop so low though but none of that matters now 'cause once I kick your ass I'll finally be known as the toughest S.O.B in the entire academy!"

The way that this student ranted on it was clear that he both had no idea of what really most likely happened and that he was so narcissistically disturbed that it would be both foolish and impossible to persuade him otherwise but right now he did not care about persuading him but rather trying to free Moka from his clutches; He held her tightly in his right hand with his thumb placed tightly under her chin and pushed up against her head, ready to snap her neck at a moment's whim. Moka on the other hand did not seem frightened or angry but rather sorry and that broke his heart because the way he figured it was him who should be sorry, it was his fault that she was being held hostage not her own, if he had not blamed her for what Gin did then she would have never come to the roof.

"Gomen Tsukune, I didn't mean for this to happen. I was wrong for what I did but please save yourself and don't worry about me."

For Tsukune that was the last straw and something inside him snapped, his normally reserved and pacifist nature disappeared and all that was left was a sense of rage and self-loathing. All feelings of self-preservation went out the window and before anybody knew what was going on Tsukune charged at the troll at full force, ready to do something about Chopper but what, he was not sure. Chopper on the other hand was surprised at first but soon became enraged by Tsukune's actions; he thought that the boy's arrogance had gotten the better of him when he was trying to attack him in his human form, the boy thought that he was not good enough to fight in the same form as he used with Kuyou? That he was just some low-level weakling that was not fit enough to lick this arrogant idiot's shoes? The fury that grew within him was immeasurable and his particularly poor impulse control Chopper pulled back his hand, the hand that Moka was being held in, and waited until Tsukune was close enough and swatted him away with the back of his hand.

Tsukune felt the back of Chopper's hand, which to him it was like the equivalent of being his with a flying brick wall, and for a moment his brown eyes connected with Moka's jade ones and he was able to absorb all of the emotions that were present in her eyes; fear, panic, anxiety, and a deep sense of melancholy. This connection only lasted a second and then Tsukune was launched across the roof, smashing against the newly retiled rooftop and rolling along the floor like some kind of toy. Several times Tsukune tried to slow himself down but nothing he did was successful; trying to grab whatever he could to slow himself down but found nothing, he also tried to twist his body in the opposite direction but the force that his body was hit with was so powerful that it became useless. It did not take long for Tsukune's body to slam against the rooftops steel door and smashed the back of his head against the hard and cold metal. Immediately he felt pain radiate from the injury to the back of his head quickly followed by a warm numbing. Soon the pain dulled and his vision started to go fuzzy but no matter how hard the feeling of deep sleep tried to take over, he never took his eyes off Moka.

Eventually Tsukune did lose consciousness and his body slumped against the rooftop door in a relax demeanor, leaving Moka alone with Chopper again. Moka wanted to scream but could not as Chopper's fingers tightened around her and the troll barked a victorious laugh and screamed like a maniac.

"HAHAHA WAS THAT IT? FOR FUCK'S SAKE I THOUGHT YOU WOULD AT LEAST GIVE ME A GOOD WARM UP! GUESS I DON'T KNOW MY OWN STRENGTH 'CAUSE YOUR BOYFRIEND WENT DOWN LIKE A LITTLE BITCH, GIRLIE!"

Moka wanted to defend Tsukune's honor, but with the brutish troll's fingers still tightening themselves around her frame it was hard enough to stay conscious. Trying to wriggle to her freedom Moka squirmed inside Chopper's grasp because she found it to painful to stay still. Chopper watched his prey struggle in his hand and found much delight in her pain; squeezing even harder with each passing moment. He listened to the sounds of her bones popping in their joints and her grunts of suffering pleasing his ears Chopper cackled loudly and still continued to scream every word.

"NOW THAT THAT WEAKLING'S OUT OF THE WAY I GOT YOU ALL TO MYSELF AND LET ME TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR TRYING TO GET THE DROP ON ME!"

Chopper continued to put the squeeze on Moka and pulled her in close so that way he could watch every agonizing expression of pain that flashed across her face. Moka still struggled against her captor's grip but the crushing pain that she was experiencing could be considered unbearable and she knew that if she was not freed then she would be crushed. Taking every ounce of her will power and adding her instincts of self-preservation Moka pulled back her leg and kicked the troll in the shin. Chopper dropped her almost immediately and nursed his bruised leg while Moka fell to the ground with a loud thump. For a moment the girl was stunned while the troll above her moaned in pain over his injured leg, Moka knew that soon he was going to get up and most likely crush her but she was still too stunned, emotionally and physically, to be able to move up from her spot on the ground. Just as she predicted Chopper recovered from his injury and loomed over her with hate in his eyes and for a second she wondered exactly what it was that he was going to do to her when something took his attention away from her and brought it someplace else.

Moka managed to roll herself onto her stomach and saw what it was that stopped Chopper from crushing her and found her breath was taken away; it was Tsukune, slowly rising from his spot. The boy's back was still up against the as he pushed himself upwards, his head hung low and hair flopped down to form bangs obscuring his face but Moka could swear that she saw a smirk playing around his lips. It was strange to say the least, the way that Tsukune was getting back up on his feet by pushing his way up by pressing his back against the steel door, his arms hanging loosely by his side, Moka felt that something was wrong and the moment Tsukune made a noise it was clear that she was right.

It was laughter, Tsukune was laughing but it was not his own, this laughter was cold and maniacal, the laughter of someone who believed that they were superior to all.

"_**Fuck your loud kid, with a voice that loud you could wake the dead and send them running back to their graves with a face that fugly."**_

Moka did not know what to do, only once before had she heard that voice and the last time she did it did not end well. Both the troll and the girl watched Tsukune stand straight up and push himself off the steel door. For a moment, Tsukune wobbled, but quickly regained his composure and spat out the lump of emulsion that was once edible food onto the floor. Chopper was stunned by Tsukune's sudden recovery and insulting him to such a degree Moka did her best to take advantage of this and as quickly as her body would allow, got up from the ground and ran to the opposite end of the rooftop. Chopper saw his hostage get up and leave but he no longer cared about her and only cared about Aono Tsukune getting up from the ground and talking to him like he was scum. Tsukune on the other hand did not act like his usual self; his body language now aloof and relaxed when ever since he arrived on the roof it was clear that he was tense and nervous, the smirk he had on his face could almost be considered puckish and cruel while he carelessly pushed back his bangs to reveal his eyes. Nearly the both of them gasped aloud when they saw his eyes, no longer where they a calm and serene chocolaty brown but instead where replaced with the sight of twin lights, both burning a bright yellow like dying embers from a bonfire. It was a brief instant but in that short span of time Chopper felt scared; scared for his own well-being and fear of whatever it was that stood before him but soon it was his pride that overrode his fears and replaced it with the need to prove his superiority over everyone he met. Wasting no time Chopper reassured himself with a quick flex of his upper body, which, in his mind, reasserted his manliness, puffed out his chest, and spoke with a tone that was absolutely saturated with hubris.

"Well it looks like you're not finished. Playing possum so that way I'll drop my guard and you get me when my back's turned? You're nothin' but a lowdown dirty cheat, no honor!"

Chopper felt as though he had gotten in a few good insults, totally destroying his confidence as a fighter and the moment the boy let the shame sink in and the moment he showed any signs of being distracted and lowering his guard Chopper would pounce and destroy the boy before anyone knew what happened. Chopper waited, feeling that it would not take long for his tactics to take affect but they did not have the effects he was hoping for; this possessed Tsukune did not seem to feel shame or dishonor, but rather let a healthy chuckle passed his lips and the dark voice shattered the troll's own confidence like a cheap pane of window glass.

"_**Mind games? Quite sophisticated for a moron like you, it would've worked if it weren't for two things; firstly I have no sense of shame or morality and secondly a brain-dead slug could point out that what you did, kidnapping a girl and using her as a hostage, is worse than what you're accusing me of...now even I gotta admit that's pretty cold."**_

Whatever the thing was that stood in front of him Chopper was more than sure that it was not same Aono Tsukune that he wanted to fight and that he did not like this thing. What this thing said and how it said it infuriated him, it spoke in a superior tone, almost as regal and elitist as Kuyou's was but still maintaining that dangerous animalistic quality about it and the words that it used made him sound like he was the bad guy! He was Chopper Rikiishi, captain of the Youkai Academy Wrestling team and soon to be proven the toughest man in the entire school and this smug punk dared to insult him! Calling him scum and to add insult to injury he had not even given him the common courtesy of transforming!

Chopper had had his pride wounded far enough times and was going to take it no more. Seething to the boiling point Chopper glared angrily at the possessed boy who still had that damned smug smirk on his face and moved his hand to the back of his head then examined it with slight curiosity as the light of the sun glinted off the wet blood that soaked it. Still smiling the possessed boy combed his fingers through his thick hair, slicking it back and wiping both his hands together. Chopper finally exploded with anger and made a mad dash towards him with hatred clearly burning in his eyes and bellowing like a mad man. The possessed boy response to Chopper's charge not with a charge or a scream but rather with a brisk jog, heading straight towards the troll with that same smug smirk. It did not take long for the two to close in on each other; Chopper swinging his gigantic hand up into the air and the possessed teen with both of his hands up to his chin like a professional boxer.

Moka saw the expressions on both of the fighters and did not like either; Chopper's face contorted into an expression of angst, anger, and agony while Tsukune's was still the same confident smug smirk with those fiery yellow eyes burning even brighter than ever before. The poor girl did not understand what had happened to her Tsukune, never before had she seen him like this before and she did not have to wonder about it because she knew that this was not Tsukune. The pink-haired vampiress knew right away that the being fighting Chopper Rikiishi was not her Tsukune but quite possibly the same thing that fought with Kuyou and she was afraid that some similar disaster might occur. The troll swung his hand with the intent on striking the boy in the head but instead of showing fear or any attempt of dodging the possessed Tsukune just stood still with his fists still raised in the same boxing pose and that smug smirk staring up at the ugly troll.

It was not much but when Chopper's karate chop connected, it could almost be described as a spectacular display of his physical power; the newly tiled floor of the rooftop cracked and spat out shards of stone. A small cloud of dust blanketed Tsukune and most of Chopper's arm and for a moment it seemed like his attack had done what it was meant to do until a small figure popped out from the dust cloud, running up his arm and stopping at his shoulder. The possessed boy stood on the troll's shoulder like some kind of sick imitation of a parrot with his fist still raised in that same boxer's pose and that infuriating grin still ever present on his face and not a scratch to be seen anywhere on his body. The troll was clearly angry and might have tried to do something about it but if he was then he was far too slow about it because Tsukune finally dropped his arms and started to attack Chopper with a vicious and brutal assault. Punch after punch was thrown at a blinding pace and all of them were aimed for his face. Every strike was concise and powerful, avoiding all tusks and horns that might cause recoil damage leaving his target areas the face, eyes, and mouth. Even with all of the evident power put behind each punch it was clear that Chopper was not hurt by them but rather more annoyed by them than anything else, they pushed his face away and hit hard enough to distract his body from performing any kind of counter-attacks but hurt him they did not. With each blow came the nasty sound of flesh hitting stone; the sounds of fingers cracking under the pressure of the punch but the thing that possessed Tsukune did not show any signs of pain or slowed his attacks but instead that smug smirk turned into a sadistic smile and stopped almost as abruptly as the attack first started.

When the attacks stopped Chopper's body finally had the opportunity to attack his aggressor and tried to swipe at the boy but with an incredible feat of agility and grace that seem to contradict the brutal nature of his earlier attack the possessed Tsukune performed a perfect flip off the trolls shoulder and landed behind him. The moment the boy landed, he spun around and kicked the troll, striking him behind the knee, and brought him down to his knees. Chopper crashed to the ground but he did not look harmed but angry and when he turned his head around to face the possessed boy he spat out a mixture of saliva and hateful words at the boy behind him.

"Is that all you got? You can't do shit to me when your as tiny and pathetic as you are now! FIGHT ME SERIOUSLY!"

Whatever it was that was controlling Tsukune did not respond to Chopper's angry rant but instead stood in that one spot hoping excitedly and punching the air with a frenzy of energy. After a few antagonizing seconds of ignoring Chopper the thing turned to him with a nasty grin spoke to him with a calm and condescending tone.

"_**Nah I'm good and besides the whole point of this fight is to piss you off and I seem to be doing a bang-up job despite being so weak and pathetic."**_

The troll hated the boy more and more with every word he said and when he was finished taunting him Chopper could not contain his hatred for him anymore. Violently jumping back to his feet the troll charged after his target who in turn ran with his head over his shoulder and his middle finger raised. Taking the bait Chopper charged blindly after Tsukune's body as he bellowed like a mad man after his prey and said prey laughed even as he was being chased by this ugly giant. Chopper's gigantic size made it easy for him to catch up to Tsukune but it was his size that made it difficult for him to catch him because every time he came within grabbing distance the possessed boy would turn sharply either to the left or right and get away from the troll with plenty of room to spare. This little game of cat and mouse went on and the longer it did the angrier the troll became until his mind blocked out everything except thoughts of catching Tsukune; all he saw was the back of Tsukune running away from him and always just out of reach until the boy spun around and slid himself in-between the troll's legs.

It was too late but Chopper had finally realized what had happened and that the entire chase lead him running straight towards the unprotected edge. Chopper stopped himself just short of the edge but it was still too far for him; Chopper was standing right on the edge, his thick toes curling themselves tightly over the edge and his arms stretched out to his sides in an instinctual attempt to keep his balance but it was obvious that the slightest disturbance would be more than enough to send him tumbling over.

Moka was silent during the whole fight because she found that her voice would come to her even if she wanted it to. She watched as this alien took over the body of her Tsukune and it allowing Chopper to chase it all over the roof and tricking the troll into almost running off the edge. To her this situation was worse than what happened last week because it was not some giant unknown monster that was destroying the school or brutally attacking students but it was the body of Tsukune, her Tsukune, that was doing all of this. Silently with terror in her eyes she watched as the alien inside Tsukune walking up to the wobbling troll and stopping just behind him and talking to him, not in that sadistic condescending tone but rather a wizened and cold voice.

"_**Look at you now boy; you've trained and slaved yourself until you could do no more, building and sculpting your body to its peak, sacrificing so much in the process and it is only now that you learn that they're many different kinds of might."**_

After he was done talking Moka could tell that he was truly done and to prove it she saw the alien lifting Tsukune's leg and gently placing his foot against the small of Chopper's massive back. Moka's broke whatever paralytic spell that gripped her body and she ran towards the both of them but it was too late. The thing that possessed Tsukune kicked Chopper in the back and down he went; tumbling off the edge in slow motion and as the troll fell the thing turned his back to Chopper and took in a deep and satisfied sigh. It did not take her long but when Moka did reach the edge of the rooftop she heard a loud 'THWACK' and felt the building shake. The girl all but threw herself over the edge when she looked down the side of the building. What she saw was most likely the most ghastly sight she had ever seen; Chooper's body sprawled out on the ground, limbs twisted at odd angles and jaw open so wide that it must've broke upon impact. Scared beyond words that Moka did not even notice the footsteps behind her or the fact that the possessed body of Tsukune stood next to her and look down at Chopper's body with mild interest and slight boredom; Moka on the other hand was terrified and could only stutter out whispered words.

"Is…is h-he…dead?"

"_**How should I know? I ain't a fuckin' doctor now am I?"**_

Moka's mind was racing so fast that it did not have time to process the thing's abrasive answer to her own question and could only think about what had just happened and what the consequences that might follow. The girl was on the verge of a nervous breakdown while the body next to her was too busy cleaning his fingernails to even care enough to look remorseful about what he had done when she noticed, even from as far up as they were, Chopper's body beginning to move on its own. The troll's arms and fingers twitching and his body trying to push himself up but he could not. Though the sight of this once powerful student flopping around on the ground was a pathetic sight, to Moka it was a wonderful sight. With a deep breath of relief, Moka pulled self away from the edge of the roof, placed her hand over her chest, and calmed her beating heart.

"It's ok he's still alive!"

"_**Oh thank god for that! For a moment there I thought I might have to feign concern."**_

That time the abrasive voice of the spirit possessing Tsukune did reach her and at that moment whatever relief she did feel were swept away and replaced with feelings of nervousness and curiosity when it came to this unknown thing standing next to her. The creature standing next to her may be inside the body of Tsukune but its mannerisms were nothing like the boy himself; the way he stood was the gait of someone who did not care or was not interested in the world around him and his face was…animated to say the least, his eyebrows moved and scrunched together while his facial muscles twitched in the most unusual ways, all of this belong to Tsukune except for the eyes which burned unnaturally bright.

"_**What do you want?"**_

The rough sound of this creature's voice rattled her enough that she noticed that she must have been staring at him long enough to annoy him. At first, she did not know what to do; she tried to touch him but every time her hand came close Tsukune would glare and pull back. She was frightened but that did not stop her from trying to get some sort of closure on this subject and after several more unsuccessful attempts of trying to touch him Moka found her voice and was able to speak again.

"Tsukune?"

Saying that name aloud made her feel better but the boy in front of her did not respond the way she expected; he did not give a warm smile or even call out her name, no what he did was give an ugly sneer and shoved his face into hers in an extremely aggressive and dominating approach.

"_**The hell did you just call me?"**_

When Moka saw how this Tsukune reacted to her any doubts that she might've had were gone. Once more she spoke to the fake Tsukune in front of her angry and wanting answers.

"Who are you and what did you do to my Tsukune?"

The creature in front of her did not react violently like its previous actions would suggest but instead looked like she had just told him her deepest secret and he had dark intentions for that piece of information.

"_**Yours? Ohhh the boy's gonna love hearing that!"**_

The mentioning of 'the boy' Moka's heart leapt and so did she. In her heart, she knew that when this thing said 'the boy' that it was talking about Tsukune and that it must mean that he was somewhere inside. Not wasting any time Moka leapt at the creature, trying to grab him by the shoulders, but failing when he stepped out of her reach and she started to question the creature in front of her with a happy vigor.

"Tsukune's in there isn't he? Where is he? I want to speak to him; please, please let me speak to him!"

"_**Calm down you crazy-ass bitch! The kid's had a pretty nasty whack to the back of the head and until he comes around I'm going to explore my new freedoms. After all we did make a deal and I kept my end of the bargain so now he's gonna have pay his due."**_

She did not understand what it meant by making a deal with Tsukune but what she did understand was that Tsukune was still alive and that he was going to come back to her hopefully soon. The creature turned away from her and started to make his way towards the door but Moka was not done with her line of questioning, she was happy that Tsukune was going to come back but she wanted to know more about the thing that had temporarily taken over Tsukune's body. Quickly catching up to Tsukune's body Moka continue to ask her questions.

"Who or what are you?"

"_**Strange…I usually leave quite the impression on those I meet especially the ladies."**_

"Wait what do you mean by that? Have we met before?"

"_**Time after time and just last week we had a face to face."**_

"How is this possible? Tell me just what are you?"

"_**You know I think you were already told about me. How did the boy put it again…I'm a demon's demon, the devil himself! Do you remember that?"**_

As a matter of fact, Moka did remember Tsukune telling her that just before the Public Safety Commission grabbed them. She remembered that he was telling her that about a mask that he found but she did not believe him, she thought it was most likely due to the stress he suffered from the other students but now she knew better. She was staring at the face that she looked at everyday but she did not recognize who she was looking at right now. The creature had reached the steel door and wrapped Tsukune's fingers around the handle when he looked over his shoulder and threw her a crooked yet evil grin.

"_**You know now that I think about it I think it's time I met the rest of you whiny little fuckers that this kid is so keen about staying with. I can feel the kid coming around so we got to hurry my pink-haired honey bunny!"**_

Those were the beast's last words when he slipped through the crack of the steel door and gave her one last smile; full of teeth and held only the darkest of intentions then left her all alone on the rooftop, allowing Moka to wonder in horror about what was going to happen now.

* * *

(Author's Note)

Thank you all for your reviews. ^(;;;)^

"In Tobi We Trust"


	11. Knowledge IS Power

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

"_Vice knows that she is ugly, so she puts on her mask"_

_Benjamin Franklin_

Knowledge IS Power

_Aono Tsukune: The Menace of Youkai Academy (pt 2)_

_Within the past week I, Ginei Morioka, have feverishly search across this school for interviews and spent hours in the academy library to find anything on the one subject that has gripped the school in an almost paralytic fear; the student named Aono Tsukune. For the several days I spent in the library and I discovered several surprising facts about Aono Tsukune; names of evil deities from the most obscure of religions, his family ties to this school or better yet there lack of, and tracked down as many students willing to give their statements about their brief encounter with the boy and every moment they could remember. I wrote about the facts that I found and the opinions of the students but to say that was enough for this intrepid reporter would be a gross understatement._

_The first article was the culmination of hours spent poured over books and testimonies from students who fought with him if not for a few seconds but this is the article that truly matters; this is the article that contains the testimonies from the people who have day to day contact with Aono Tsukune, those who have the greatest insight to the inner workings of the enigmatic student that has taken Youkai Academy by storm._

_At first it was extremely difficult, almost impossible, to get an exclusive interview with any of Aono Tsukune's friends; nearly every single one of them had either locked themselves in their dorm rooms or dropped off the face of the planet for close to a week, even Aono Tsukune, the boy who has both fascinated and scared this academy, was nowhere to be found. After the release of the first article I was hungry to get the second one underway but after three days of searching none of Aono Tsukune's closets' friends could be found and I for a second I believed that my potential two-part exclusive would go on unfinished but luck was on my side and incredibly I found Aono Tsukune. _

_I was shocked to find the student that had eluded an entire academy for nearly a week was standing in a fourth floor bathroom and I was not going to let this chance go by. Without wasting a single moment I began to interview Aono Tsukune with a medley of questions, the questions that you the readers wanted answers to, and the results where surprising to say the least. As I bombarded him with question after question Aono Tsukune did not lash out in anger, like most of the school populace has been led to believe, but shocking began to weep openly; the proclaimed resident bad-ass of Youkai Academy suffered what I could only be described as an nervous breakdown and began to admit several intimate things about himself, namely how he felt about this school and that he was being demonized by the public. _

_As horrible as this might sound he went on to say that he never instigated any of the fights that he has been known for and that he never intended to take them as far as he did, he fought purely in self-defense. This might sound like excuse but as a reporter you develop a sixth sense when it comes to lying and I did not find any signs of a deceit. In the sense of full disclosure I won't reveal what was said exactly because in all honesty it was quite pathetic but the one thing that I will reveal was that he told me, Ginei Morioka, his greatest wish and that was to just be. _

_It was a bit of an ambiguous request but still holds a powerful meaning and it makes me wonder what I want. That question kept me going until I found another one of Aono Tsukune's closets' friends and once again managed to get another exclusive interview. I won't release the name of this particular friend of Aono Tsukune but I can tell you that this friend was very passionate and adamant about Aono Tsukune's true and docile nature and testified to every fight that he ever been in was self-defense or for the pride of those few who were brave enough to get to know him. This same person went on to say that the populaces of Youkai Academy are idiots for being afraid of a person who they know nothing about and that we should all be ashamed of ourselves for labeling him as a brain-dead thug. _

_Even with only two interviews on the behalf of Aono Tsukune against the countless accusations and rumors of him floating around the school for several months I have to say that those two interviews were more illuminating than any of these horror stories. Even though this newspaper has a proud tradition of remaining unbiased even I have to say that with what little time I've spent around Aono Tsukune in the past couple of months I must say that he was nothing like the many stories that I had heard just like the rest of you._

_Aono Tsukune may be one of the most powerful students to ever grace the halls of Youkai Academy, definitely one of the very, very few people to ever fight me and actually win, but when getting to know the boy and seeing the way he holds himself you would swear that he was nothing more than a lost child searching for someone to show him the way. The boy is definitely confusing and acts as though he doesn't know his own strength but whether or not you think of him as a bloodthirsty fiend or a student who as scared as the rest of us for being away from home for the first time in his life and surrounded by complete strangers, it is up to you to decide with the facts I have provided._

The sound of rustling of paper was loud as the newspaper being held was folded over to reveal a slicked-back mess of hair covered with dark red clots of blood clumping together and a set of burning yellow eyes shining almost as bright as the teeth exposed in a devilishly evil grin that was on the face of the possessed Aono Tsukune.

"_**What a beautiful recant you wrote kid, seriously it brought tears to my eyes, hahahahaha"**_

The thing that possessed Tsukune was waiting in Tsukune's homeroom, sitting in Nekonome-sensei's chair, with his feet swung carelessly up on her desk, kicking off the dirt that stuck to the soles of Tsukune's school issued shoes onto the polished wooden surface and a stack of freshly printed newspapers. Holding the folded newspaper in his hands, the creature possessing Tsukune flashed that wicked smile to the one other sitting across from him, the student who wrote the article; Ginei Morioka.

Said werewolf sat at a desk quiet as a mouse while his mind reeled from what had just happened minutes before. He was busy printing out newspapers to hand out for tomorrow when the door suddenly kicked open by who at first he thought was Tsukune, who strolled in with Moka quickly behind him. At first he wanted to yell at the boy but when he saw the way he moved and the glowing yellow eyes all Gin could do was sit down silently and watch as this imposter in the Tsukune-suit stroll over to Nekonome's desk like he owned it, plop himself behind it while grabbing a newspaper from one of the many stacks that were littered around the room and sat down to read the article that Gin had just written. Moka stood in the middle of the doorway, wringing her wrists anxiously, until the creature sitting behind the desk looked away from his paper and turned his attentions to her long enough to bark out three words that formed one commanding demand.

"_**Get the rest!"**_

Its voice was deep and abrasive while demeaning at the same time. While Gin may have been a pervert and a pig when it came to women he was normally very chivalrous in his own way and did not stand for the blatant disrespect for any women. This time he felt his instincts telling him that it was smarter to let this slide and he never went against his own gut. Moka was both glad and anxious to leave by the looks of it but after what appeared to be a moment of internal debating she left the two of them alone and went off to 'get the rest' and closed the door on the behind her.

For several minutes the room was uncomfortably silent but Gin did not dare be the first to break it. He sat in the desk across from where the thing sat and watched with a mixture of curiosity and fear as the thing read his newspaper and occasionally chuckled and cackled as it continued reading further and sometimes it would kick against the desk as if it was trying to hold back an outburst of laughter, scuffing both the floor and chipping the desk in the process.

Gin did not know how long they were in that room but during the entire time he felt an aura that kept him concerned. The aura that he felt filled the entire room like that of a predator ready to strike for the kill, even as the thing innocently read and darkly chuckle at the newspaper Gin felt that it was by the grace of one single fact that he was unaware of that stopped whatever it was that was possessing Tsukune from ripping him apart like a piece of meat, and he was pretty sure that it could. After finishing his article and darkly complementing him on his article the creature unfolded the paper, possibly it was rereading the article when the door of the classroom opened.

In the middle of the doorway was Kurumu dressed in her school uniform, looking like she just got out of bed for the first time in a week, but when she saw Tsukune it looked like her body became re-energized until she noticed his burning eyes. That once re-energized look about her was gone and replaced with the emotion known as terror. Quickly planting herself against the wall frightened. Yukari entered the room next and when she become aware of the burning lights that dwelled in Tsukune's eye sockets she became deathly quiet and stood perfectly still, almost petrified, in the middle of the doorway. The creature put down the newspaper, swung his feet down from the desk and stood up from Nekonome-sensei's chair, and confidently marched towards the both of them. It was strange to see Tsukune walk the way he was now; it was strong, confident, over powering completely opposite from how he usually was and it was scary to watch him strut pass Kurumu, without acknowledging her existence, and stopped in front of the tiny witch staring down at her with that evil devilish grin.

"_**What do I see with my little eye? A tiny, tiny spy!"**_

Bending down the creature possessing Tsukune roughly jammed his hands under Yukari's arms and lifted her until they were eye to eye. Moka, who was still in the hallway at the time, wanted to try and stop the creature but at the same time she was scared that if she tried, then the thing would hurt Yukari, so the only thing she felt that was safest form of action was to stay as close as possible and make sure that nothing more happened to Yukari. As the prepubescent witch stared deeply into those fiery orbs and that evil smile the creature leaned in and silently hissed in her ear.

"_**Didn't your mommy and daddy teach you not to stick your nose in other people's business?"**_

Yukari could only silently stare at her captor while he calmly made his way into the classroom with Yukari in his hands and Moka following closely behind, watching the two of them like a hawk but at the same time keeping a healthy distance between her and the creature. The moment that everyone was inside the classroom, from out of the blue, the creature holding Yukari performed a wicked spin kick aimed for Moka's head. She was able to dodge at the last second and the creature instead hit the door, slamming it shut and possibly breaking the locking mechanism.

Everyone stared at the creature possessing Tsukue in shock except for Yukari who looked like she was about to be violently ill after her quick spin, but the creature acted like this sudden bout of violence was normal and dropped Yukari in the nearest seat. The girl fell with a loud plop and no one spoke as the creature calmly walked towards the teacher's desk, jumping on top of it instead of walking around it, sat cross-legged and stared at everyone in the room, smiling at them with that creepy devilish smile and remained perfectly still.

Nobody dared to move or speak but they all wanted to know what exactly it was that was sitting on their homeroom teacher's desk; it may have looked like Aono Tsukune but none of them were fooled by this guise. The way that it; moved, spoke, and sat perfectly still, they all knew that what sat in front of them was the same being that terrorized school and destroyed the Public Safety Commission in such a brutal fashion but what they really wanted to know was what exactly IT was. The only person in this room that actually had any clue as to what the creature is was Moka and the only thing she knew about it was that at the very least it was a mask but a feeling deep in her gut that that the idea of it being just a mask was ridiculous.

It sat and stared at her and all of her friends in the face. The tension building up in the room was almost unbearable but the one brave enough to break it was the blue-haired succubus who managed to peel herself off of the wall and tentatively tried to make her way towards the teacher's desk. The trek to the desk from an outsider's perspective was long and unnecessarily overly dramatic but to Kurumu it was probably the most frightening thing she ever had to do so far in her young life; every step with her school-issued shoes made a soft 'clink' against the linoleum of the tiled floor, her skirt swished softly against her smooth skin, her heartbeat was so powerful that it could be heard by anyone who was close enough to her.

She made it about halfway when Tsukune's head twisted in her direction, his body remaining perfectly still, and the clotting blood keeping his hair from flying around. The poor girl almost cried out as the burning eyes glowing deep inside Tsukune's sockets burned brighter and she was met with the full force of the terrifying smile but she did her best to keep calm and continued to move forward. The brave girl fought against the instinctual fear that those horrible eyes instilled but she made it about three quarters of the way and stopped. She looked the creature straight in the eyes and it looked like she was about to back off when she gathered whatever courage she could find and for a moment she looked like her normal, if not angry, self and pointed her finger at the sitting creature that continued to stare at her unblinkingly with hell-eyes.

"You're not my Tsukune-kun."

Her voice was cold and angry while her words were slow and deliberate. They would have stopped anybody in their tracks, anyone except the creature in front of her who started clapping excitedly. The loud and sudden clapping scared everybody so bad that they all jumped in their seats and Kurumu's knees buckled so badly that she would have fell to the ground if she did not catch herself in time. Up until now the creature was completely still, almost like a piece of statuary, even after it turned Tsukune's head so rapidly to stare at Kurumu and even after that it remained still so when it began to clap and move it unnerved them when they saw it move Tsukune's body in such an uncharacteristic fashion. It disturbed them all greatly and it became apparent that the creature possessing Tsukune was taking great pleasure in that fact. With its icy bellowing voice it spoke for the first time since bringing in Yukari and it was filled with a sadistic glee that sent chills up everybody's spines.

"_**Wow! The boy was right; you're not a giant dummy. Instead you're just a garden variety dummy."**_

After insulting Kurumu the creature laughed so cruelly that it forced Kurumu to back away from the desk until her body bumped against another desk. The way the creature moved Tsukune's body was just as animated as his face; his body shook from the power of his laughter, his muscles tightened and loosened with each passing second, its voice echoed loudly in the tiny room. All of them were scared of the creature but none of them fled as they each wanted to know more about the creature possessing the boy that they all had come to know in the passing months. Despite being so scared of what sat in front of them it was Yukari who spoke next.

"What are you and what happened to Tsukune-kun?"

The beast's laughter began to die down but it kept the smile on Tsukune's face. He moved his hands expressively as he turned his attentions to Yukari and answered both of her questions in a smug manner.

"_**Nothing happened to the boy, as a matter of fact he is still here with us. Suffered a nasty hit to the back of his head up on the rooftop and because of that it has allowed me to explore the new freedoms that he promised me. The question as to what I am, well I'm tired of people asking that question because I've already answered it the first time, you people just don't fuckin' listen."**_

It was clear that whatever foul-mouthed demon possessing Tsukune was annoyed by being asked the same question over and over and with a snap response he effectively ended all questions and silenced everyone in the room. It took about a minute or two but the thing possessing Tsukune seem to finally calm down and appeared ready to talk to them all.

"_**Listen and listen closely 'cause I'm only going to tell you cocksuckers this once; As much as I truly LOVE to listen to each and every one of your oh so important questions I only came out to introduce myself to the rest of you 'cause honestly I didn't expect the kid or even you fuckers to last this long and I think it's high time I said hello so…hello."**_

Nearly every single one of them felt insulted by the thing's words but none of them dare speak aloud even as it cheekily waved at them all. Even with the overwhelming sense of fear swelling deep inside Gin was too angry from all of the insults and his pride eventually overrode this instinctual fear and for the first time since the thing entered Gin rose up from his seat and with as much force that he felt was necessary he went straight for the creature and grabbed it by the collar of Tsukune's school uniform. Angry about being insulted and being treated in such a disrespectful manner, the real shocker was how the creature reacted to being manhandled in such a way; it did not fight or even try to get out of Gin's grip but instead it's smile grew wider, exposing even more teeth than before and fidgeted excitedly almost like he was happy for the violence. Gin was too wrapped up in his own wounded pride to really take notice of these smaller details and began to yell and scream at the creature.

"I don't know what the FUCK you are but you come in here an' start throwin' insults at us, AT ME? I don't fuckin' think so! So why don'cha go back to whatever fuckin' hole you climbed outta an' leave me, these girls, an' Tsukune-san alone, you piece o' shit!"

Even after the angry words were said Gin did not have anytime to feel better or revel in his words because before he knew it the thing grabbed him by the roots of his thick hair and pulled him down with more force then he thought Tsukune could possibly possess and wrapped his arm around Gin's head, putting him in a wicked headlock. Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari all got up from their seats, hoping to stop him but when they took a step forward the creature would yank even harder on Gin's thick hair and with each yank the werewolf would let out a yipping shriek. The girls quickly let go of the idea of trying to save Gin and instead stood as close as they could while making sure that they were not too close. Once the creature in front of them was satisfied with where they were it turned its attentions and intentions back to Gin who tried to struggle against his grip but it was no use. Giggling evilly the creature released Gin from the headlock he had around him, but not the grip he had on his hair, and pulled him up until they were eye to glowing eye.

"_**I'm sorry but I'm afraid I missed that entire little rant of yours. I was distracted by this lush forest you call your hair. Seriously boy you need to do something about this 'cause I'm kinda expecting a bunch of slightly racist Disney animals to start prancing their way outta there and start singing about workin' dow by'da riva!"**_

After a couple more yanks on Gin's hair which were quickly followed by a couple of his yipping shrieks the creature released his captor and continued to grin at them all with that sick smile and behaved like all that he did was punish an ill-mannered dog. Gin whimpered away from the creature with his fingers flowing through his hair, trying to rub away the soreness on his scalp, and sat down in the nearest chair that he could reach to lick his wounds. Once before he was beaten by Tsukune and back then he could take pride that at the very least he was defeated honorably but this time was different; all he felt was the white hot sting of shame burning deep within his soul because he knew that fighting against the creature in front of him would only bring shame. Somehow deep inside Gin knew of this creature, he was not sure how, but he did, and he was aware that this creature had no honor, no shame, and no fear. They all watched it and it watched them with that twisted grin and tilting Tsukune's head to the side it spoke in a gleeful and sickly sweet voice.

"_**Now what were your names again? Forgive me if I get them wrong but you have to remember that I've haven't bothered to learn the kid's name either."**_

The creature possessing Tsukune lifted the boy's right hand and pointed his finger at Kurumu first. The succubus flinched when he pointed at her and once again he giggled childishly at her signs of fear. With this happiness of her fear still evident in his voice the thing spoke to her with a playful questioning tone of voice.

"_**Now like I said before I'm not that great with names but I believe yours is something along the lines of…oh what was it again? Ah now I remember, it was 'daddy issues' right?"**_

To say that she was mortified would be a gross understatement and she was not the only one who felt her mortification. She was stunned silent and the creature in front of her was delighted in how shocked she was and in a sick twist it pretended to look embarrassed and apologetic but still it had those undertones of sadistic twisted delight.

"_**Oh I'm so sorry I honestly thought that was your name, seeing how you take great pride in being sexualized by every person with a Y chromosome that you meet and yet you chase after and dream of bending over for the one that has absolutely no sexual interest in you."**_

The thing's words struck Kurumu so hard that she could not even breathe let alone speak up but that was quickly taken care of by Yukari, who stood in front of the stunned and horrified succubus, she pointed at the creature, it smiling in the middle of this chaos.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT KURUMU-CHAN LIKE THAT!"

Again the creature pretended to act apologetic but it was impossible for it to completely hide the twisted smile. Taking one of Tsukune's hands it gently placed it over his mouth for a moment as if to symbolize how sorry it was then gazed at her. Yukari, to her credit, did not flinch or back away but steeled herself for whatever the creature might say or do to her. Chuckling sadistically, the creature lowered Tsukune's hand to reveal that twisted smile and spoke with the same sickly sweet voice that it used on Kurumu.

"_**Like I said before I apologize profusely about my mistake. I meant absolutely no offense to the young lady whatsoever, Midget."**_

Yukari was slightly taken aback from the creature calling her calling her such a midget but surprisingly she was also slightly disappointed in being called something so tame and everyday. She was expecting to be insulted with something more imaginative or original but definitely not something like midget. In a twisted and sick turn of events Yukari felt something that could be described as anger for not being insulted as creatively as Kurumu was; Kurumu's insult was truly horrible and held some psychological insight into her own behavior which made it all that much worse but Yukari's was just weak and held absolutely no sting to it whatsoever.

For a moment the young witch thought that the reason that she was only called a midget was because in the eyes of the creature she was considered not important enough to be insulted like the rest, she was not good enough. With this train of thought going through her mind Yukari caught herself and felt disgusted that she would even think of something as sick as that. Feeling hurt for not being insulted as badly as Kurumu was? She even turned around and could clearly see that the girl she considered to be one of her closest friends and who she was trying to defend was reeling from the shock of being insulted so badly and Yukari was jealous for not being insulted like that?

Yukari felt sick with herself until a thought occurred. Within her mind and she thought that maybe that was the true intentions of the creature and the moment that thought came to mind she saw the creature sitting in front of her in a new light. She gathered that it was far from just a brutish beast but a thing of ancient experience, this was a creature of ageless intelligence and if it was able to manipulate her to this extent with a single word then she was afraid of what else it could do. Though she was still shaken by how easily she was twisted by it she did her best to hide her true emotions and putting on a mask of confidence and spoke with equal confidence.

"Nice try but I'm smart enough to know that you're trying to manipulate me and it won't work."

The creature listened to her and shrugged Tsukune's shoulders as if he did not really care whether his mental games worked or not.

"_**Guess what they say is true, with the few exceptions, God either gives you tits or brains not both."**_

Yukari quickly grabbed at her chest, staring at the creature with hurt in her eyes, the creature sniggered at yet another horrified reaction. Once he was happy with her reaction he turned his sights to Gin who was still trying to nurse away the soreness from his scalp and grinned even wider at the sight of the werewolf's continuous pain. This time it was the creature pointing his finger at Gin and sent shivers down the werewolf's spine.

"_**You I actually like. I find that you have the potential to become a great sexual predator."**_

Gin was not concerned with being insulted but more concerned with his sore scalp which he was almost certain was bleeding from having his hair being yanked on so hard. The creature saw that he was not as affected by its words but it did not really seem to care as much and lowered its finger and looked extremely bored with how everything was going; Tsukune's lower lip pouted out and it huffed loudly in an overly dramatic fashion. The creature lulled Tsukune's head around on his shoulder's until its sight finally fell onto Moka and when it did its eyes lit up brightly and its smile opened so widely that the pink haired vampiress was actually scared that it might actually split his face in half, this smile was beyond human possibility. For the first time the creature possessing Tsukune unfurled his legs and stepped down from Nekonome-sensei's desk and coldly walked towards Moka.

During this entire time that her friends were being assaulted and insulted Moka sat quietly at a desk with her head hung low in shame, shame that she brought them all to this creature who took such delight in torturing them. The thing that possessed Tsukune silently walked among the ones who he shocked into gibbering submission; Gin was too preoccupied with his own physical injuries to really care that the beast was walking pass him, Yukari still had her arms around her chest but instead of crying over what was said she was still trying to calm Kurumu down who was stunned by the creature's words. Both of these girls were too preoccupied with each other that, just like their sempai before them, they too did not notice the very object of their distress walking past them silently like a phantom. Moka sat quietly in her chair with the shame from following the beast's orders burning deeply in her jade eyes; she waited for the creature to get to her and quivered lightly under the sight of the creature's smile.

Slowly the creature closed in on her and when it saw her squirm under its gaze the smile that threatened to split the face of the boy she cared for so deeply grew even wider. It was unsettling to see how far this smile could go but what truly unsettled her was the fact that it was Tsukune's body moving in this alien fashion, it was Tsukune's face making this horrible smile, and it was Tsukune's lips that were letting these awful words hurt her friends and despite that it was not his voice it still hurt her more than anything else.

It did not take long for the creature to make its way to her, its footsteps were so light and fluid that Moka could almost swear that it glided across the floor, and it stopped just a step away from her and stared down at her with that twisted smile and unblinkingly fiery eyes. Moka felt her entire body shake and tremble with the sick combination of shame and fear and when she let these emotions slip pass, even for just the briefest of moments, the creature looming over her nearly jumped for glee and reached out for her, caressing the smooth and flawless skin of her cheek with Tsukune's thumb. With a low and deep chortle it spoke to her and Moka knew that whatever it would say it would most likely try to destroy her like it did with all of the others.

"_**And you my dear pink haired honey bunny, I find both the most fascinating and the most annoying. You are beautiful, compassionate, intelligent, and see the world through an innocent point of view. You are loved by all and you truly love and care for those who you hold dear, on the outside you are the epitome of femininity and beauty but on the inside we both know the truth; you are broken goods. No matter how hard you try to deny, this is a fact and we both can see this clear as day."**_

Moka's breathing stopped sharply and her heart was caught in her throat after hearing the thing's poisonous words, burning their way through her perfect ears. For a moment a thought entered her head, just for a moment but for that moment it terrified her, she thought that the creature before her could read her innermost thoughts. It was strange but from time to time when Moka was suffering from an episode of self doubt or left alone with nothing but her darker thoughts she would sometimes visit upon the idea that no matter how hard she tried to be a good person, she was too flawed and could never fix it no matter what she did. This was her darkest fear and this beast possessing Tsukune could see straight through her like she was made out of glass.

Feeding off of her fear the creature's thumb traveled downward from her cheek and down her body, sending her flesh crawling with sick chills until it stopped at the rosary hanging around her soft neck. Moka remained absolutely still as the creature slowly fingered the rosary hanging from the choker around her neck and thumbed the ruby that rested in the middle of the silver crucifix. Once again the creature coldly chuckled and spoke to Moka like she was some peasant unworthy of hearing his magnificent words.

"_**This is the symbol of that fact and we both know it."**_

Moka's head hung ever lower in shame. The creature seemed very happy with the results that he received from each of Tsukune's friends; the shocked expressions plastered on all but Gin's face who was still too preoccupied with his possibly bleeding scalp, the looks of self-loathing hidden deep within their own eyes, everyone dwelling on what was said to them and amidst the inner turmoil and chaos the creature stood with a triumphant smile plastered on his face and reveled in all of the torment that he caused them. A self-gratifying sigh escaped from the lips of the creature and after watching all of the chaos he caused them the creature possessing Tsukune reached for one of the many stacks of newspapers that were piled around the classroom and pulled out a newspaper from the bottom causing the entire stack to fall and scatter all over the floor, creating a mess just for the sake of making a mess.

With newspaper in hand and a look of self-gratification splashed across Tsukune's face, the creature possessing the boy leaned himself against the wall and opened the newspaper wide, obscuring Tsukune's face completely from the rest of them, and began to reread the paper with a gleeful chuckle erupting from behind the paper. It took a while but just like before it was Kurumu who made the first move, proving that her determination when it came to Tsukune was greater than anything else, fighting the spell of horror that the words of the creature possessing Tsukune put her under and tentatively turned around and stared at the raised newspaper being held by the thing that broke nearly everyone in the room.

Again Kurumu timidly made her way towards the creature that caused them all so much pain in such a short amount of time; her feet stumbled and tripped over themselves in a way that made her think that her body wanted to get away from the thing possessing Tsukune but her mind would not allow anything of the sort. The moment when Kurumu started to move the others watched her out of a combination of sheer amazement and personal horror as the brave succubus came closer to the object that caused them all so much pain.

A few steps in Kurumu's nostrils were suddenly accosted with a sudden and bitter scent and she could swear that she heard a quiet dripping sound coming from behind the newspaper. Her sensitive nose filled with the unknown bitter scent and that slow dripping creeping her out more than anything so far but that did not stop her. Kurumu continued to walked towards the creature and did not waiver. When she came close enough Kurumu stopped in front of the creature who was too preoccupied with the newspaper to notice, or possibly care about, her and she stood there waiting for the right words to leave her mouth.

She stood in front of the beast hoping that it would notice her before she said anything but it did not look like that was going to be the case; the creature possessing Tsukune stood against the wall with the newspaper held high, standing in the exact same position for over ten minutes with the only differences being the bitter stench exuding from Tsukune's body and the dripping noise which now progressed to a full on leaking sound. Kurumu could not take it anymore and broke the silence of the room with a loud but weak 'Ahem' which nearly caused Moka, Yukari, and Gin to gasp aloud at both her courage and the audacity.

The creature possessing Tsukune heard Kurumu's attempt to get its attention and rewarded it with an angry and irritated groan, basically growled at the blue haired succubus while still reading the paper, not lowering it for anything or apparently anyone.

"_**What do you want now? I already said my peace about you so what else do you want?"**_

Harsh and abrasive as ever the creature nearly sent the poor girl into a catatonic state with those two questions; the succubus's knees almost gave way and her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head. Scared that she was about to faint out of sheer fear, her stubborn attitude and her love for Tsukune was enough to keep her conscious, if just barely, and when she caught herself in time the girl's mind went into overdrive in order to find the right words to ask.

For some reason no matter how hard she tried Kurumu's mind kept going to the same question over and over again and it was of course the one question she was forbidden to ask. Her mind was trying to find a question more pressing than the one she wanted to ask but she could not leave it alone and the longer she was hesitant the angrier the creature became. After a full minute of silence the creature barked out at her with the newspaper in front of his face shaking with fury.

"_**Talk now or leave me alone, daddy issues!"**_

Those poisonous words were enough to knock her out of her funk and fuel her with enough fearful anger to ask the one question that she wanted to ask more than anything else.

"What are you?"

The furious shaking of the newspaper stopped and instead of another furious groan or yelling at her for asking the one question that he forbade all of them asking it became oddly silent and calm which scared Kurumu more then if he were to yell and threaten her. Everyone was quiet, holding their breaths, and waited for whatever blow back that the blue-haired succubus might suffer from asking the question. The room remained quiet until the creature possessing Tsukune began to speak in a calm but dangerous tone of voice.

"_**I believe I asked you dumb fuckers not to ask that question, are you all fucking deaf? I already told you who I am but I guess that's not enough…I guess you'll have to see with your own eyes just who I am."**_

None of them understood what this creature meant by this ominous statement but they all instinctively knew that it must be something horrible and if they did not prepare themselves for whatever the creature was going to do, the threat of madness was great. What happened next was not so overly dramatic but the effect it had on all of them was terrible. Casually the creature dropped the newspaper that it held and instead of scattering and falling apart like the rest of the newspapers but fell with a loud plop.

Kurumu looked down and saw that in the middle of the paper was a puddle of some kind of sick flesh-tone liquid pooling in the middle, giving off both the bitter stench that accosted her nose and threw off thick furls of oily black vapor. The edges of the newspaper began to curl inwards and the very material started to deteriorate. Kurumu and the others eyes were fixated so badly on the newspaper that they completely forgot about the creature possessing Tsukune until it coughed lightly and grabbed all of their attentions. Almost at once they caught their own screams when they looked up from the newspaper and saw what stood in front of them; in place of Tsukune's face was the terrifying bone white ceremonial mask.

The edges of the mask dripping with melted flesh like the melting wax from a burning candle. Kurumu almost screamed but was preempted by a sudden blast of steam being blown in her face. The steam burned and was forceful enough to blow back her hair. Nearly stunned silent, only the sounds of her breath squeaking pass her lips, staring at the hellish lights that burned deeply in the sockets of the ancient relic. It did not take long for the creature to speak again to them. Kurumu fell backwards into an open seat, Yukari and Gin pushed their chairs away from the creature and Moka looked away from everybody with an even greater sense of shame dwelling inside her.

"_**Did you not tell them about me my dear pink haired honey bunny? You were told of me but you kept it to yourself? How selfish."**_

Everybody turned from the masked creature to Moka, each wearing equal looks of shock upon hearing that Moka knew about the creature and withheld information from them. All were shocked beyond words but the masked Tsukune let out a harsh bark of a laugh as Moka tried to hide herself away from the stunned stares of her fellow club members.

"_**After everything I've done for all of you? All the times I saved you all from death or even yourselves and why? Because I'm such a nice guy and this is how you repay me? For shame…"  
**_It spoke in such a coy and teasing fashion, waggling Tsukune's finger at Moka like a parent scolding a child and took great pleasure in watching the pink haired vampiress squirm under the shocked gazes of her friends. Their minds did not fully comprehend the creature's words at first but after sometime they each, at their own pace, fully took in the full meaning behind them. Again it was Kurumu who broke the silence when all of them turned their attentions back to the creature and stared directly at the mask whose eyes burned bright as ever.

"You save us? That's not true it was Tsukune-kun who saved us not-"

"_**The Kid?! Bullshit that was all me! I was the one who gave him the power to 'save' you all. As a matter of fact if it wasn't for me he'd be a dead HUMAN corpse rotting in some sea cave so you all owe me your lives."**_

They were all shaken by the creature's words but none were as upset as Kurumu; her eyes wide and her lower lip began to quiver violently as the news hit her harder than anyone else. The girl did not want to believe what it said but her mind brought voice to the question she dreaded to ask.

"What do you mean a human corpse? When was Tsukune in danger of dying and why would you call him human? The Public Safety Commission were the ones who spread that rumor about him, it's not true."

Suddenly the mask let out a noise that sounded like a grunt of pain but none of them could be sure because the sound was nothing that they ever heard before; it was a cross between what a machine with mechanical cogs made when coming to a screeching halt and a wounded animal's cry. Everyone silently watched in horror as tiny strands of red muscle crawled across the surface of the mask; they grew outward and intertwined themselves into each other like roots of some sort of demonic weed, spreading across the masks surface these strands of muscles spread and grew thicker and thicker until they completely covered the entirety of the mask. When the reformation of facial muscle was done, flesh began to re-grow starting from the melted edges and gradually began to fill in and cover the facial muscles that already began moving and twitching with emotions. Soon the skin of Tsukune's face was fully restored, returned to a practically pristine condition, and if it was not for the oily black stain on the floor nobody would have suspected that this one was a restoration.

The moment that Tsukune's face regenerated the creature responsible for both its destruction and renewal gave off a snort of haughty derision and abrasively told the poor frightened succubus.

"_**That schmuck of a child is as human as humanly possible! Like I said before the reason why all you fucking numb nuts are still here is because of me and nothing else."**_

After every revelation that was revealed and after every bomb that was dropped it was this one that took the greatest toll on Kurumu; not because she was told that Tsukune was human, the Public Safety Commission was the one that announced that he was human and even then she did not believe, but because when this poisonous and vile spirit possessing the boy she loved told her that he was a human she believed it. No matter how hard the young succubus tried to deny the creature's words she could not help but believe it's every word. She tried to try and find some kind of evidence thatthe creature was lying to her, absolutely no signs of deceit were present; if anything it found great pleasure in telling her the truth about Tsukune and watching her reactions to this truth.

The creature looked fully satisfied with the damage that it had caused to them all with every revelation that it thrust onto them, even when they were unwilling to hear them, and with a satisfied strut he pushed his way past Kurumu, causing the stunned girl to stumble back into an open seat, casting a sly glance towards Moka, who stared into the glowing eyes of Tsukune in a mixture of extreme dislike for the creature who caused all of this chaos among her closest friends, self-loathing because she felt guilt for believing that this creature was merely a creation of Tsukune's own tired imagination but most of all she was ashamed with herself for exposing all of her friends to the terror that was the monster living inside Tsukune's mind.

The girl watched as the creature walked calmly towards the teacher's desk and with an incredible feat of strength, for a human body, performed a vertical leap high enough to land on top of the teacher's desk. The suddenly slamming sound that Tsukune's feet made when landing on top of the desk startled nearly all of them and attracted their attentions, except for Kurumu who was still stunned, and they watched as the creature walked across the desk's polished surface and stopped at the edge with his back turned; heel's hanging of he edge of the desk and Tsukune's entire body teetering back and forth dangerously, the creature smiled cheekily and waved for Gin's attention. The werewolf very nearly uncharacteristically jumped back in his seat but listened carefully to the single warning that it gave to him.

"_**Write about me and we will meet under less-than-desirable circumstances…for you anyway."**_

Gin remained silent and gave no outward signals of understanding but it was clear that he got the massage loud and clear. Satisfied with what he received the creature took Tsukune's outstretched hand and in a slow, dramatic fashion brought two fingers to his forehead and saluted them in the most condescending and show-offish manner possible. Once given the salute it spread out Tsukune's arms and fell backwards, allowing Tsukune to plummet towards the ground head first with that sick and twisted smile plastered on his face.

Everyone but Kurumu watched as the creature fell from the top of the teacher's desk and landed head first on the ground with an incredibly nasty thud and rolled onto his back. Normal circumstances everyone would have rushed towards the possibly unconscious boy and check his health but these were not normal circumstances; they were still in their seats and watched the unmoving body of the boy. Waiting for some kind of sign of what to expect to happen; Gin, Yukari, and Moka watched Tsukune with wide and cautious eyes and sat perfectly still in their own individual seats.

Tsukune's body sprung to life without warning and sat perfectly upright. This time everybody did jump out of their seats and fall to the floor, staring at him in alarm nobody dared to move from their spot, trying to observe the subtly changes that had come over the boy; the way he now held himself in a light and non-threatening manner like he usually did, his face was not nearly as animated with emotions as before, and his eyes no longer shined with that evil yellow light that was the promise of a brutal persona possessing a dark knowledge of the unknowable. For a moment, even with his eyes wide open, Tsukune did not look like he was conscious. The boy's body was perfectly still and his back was as straight as a board and gave off no sign that he was aware of his surroundings until he jumped to his feet and rushed forward while screaming one name.

"CHOPPER!"

The minute they all heard his voice they knew that Tsukune was Tsukune again; his kind, if not simple, nature radiated from the one word and once they minds knew this their bodies reacted but it was too late. Tsukune rushed straight into the teacher's desk, bruising his gut and slamming his head against it's hard wooden surface with a mean thunk and collapsed onto the floor. Almost everybody ran to the boy's side and tried to see if he was alright; he looked like he was physically stunned by the hit but otherwise perfectly fine which brought a breath of relief to all except for Kurumu.

Said girl was still sitting on the floor with her back turned to them all with the same look of alarm stuck on her face since being told the truth about Tsukune and when she looked into the true face of the creature that supposedly gave Tsukune all of his incredible powers and terrorized the entire school.

With everybody surrounding Tsukune they did not notice Kurumu slowly rising up from her spot and turned around to face them, wringing her wrists rigorously and letting only the tiniest whispery breaths to pass through her lips. While the blue haired succubus was standing still with her mind trying its best to process the information the rest of the newspaper club was hovering over Tsukune's now conscious body with his proper personality back.

The boy's eyes were wide open and no longer glowed with that hellish yellow fire but were now those calm chocolaty browns that everybody was so accustomed to seeing on a daily basis, his face did not move in such strange and animated ways nor did it hold that evil and condescending smile but rather his own simpler emotions which brought a smile to all of those who were staring down at him from up above. His eyes widened, allowing them to convey all of the confusing emotions that were flashing through his mind, and finally Tsukune spoke out, asking them all questions.

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

His voice was cracked, clearly he was thirsty, but that was not what concerned them the most. Those two questions seemed innocent enough but their answers were ugly and perverse and not Moka nor Gin nor Yukari wanted to answer him. For a few minutes the entire room was quite and nobody dared to speak about the evil spirit that possessed the now confirmed human child. Tsukune managed to lift himself up from the floor, sit upright and lay his head against the wooden side of Nekonome-sensei's desk, a large dent on top was now present. For a little bit Tsukune took in deep breaths through his nose and exhaled from his mouth like he was trying to fight of some kind of nausea and spell of headaches.

It took awhile but Tsukune managed to calm himself down. After Tsukune felt whatever it was that afflicted him pass he turned his gaze upward and waited for the answers to his questions that were obviously not coming. He tried to get some sort of sense of what was going on when he spotted Kurumu standing in the corner of the room, staring at him in complete disbelief and gibbering uncontrollably in some incomprehensible language. Tsukune wanted to ask her what was wrong but before he was able to speak Kurumu left; she turned her gaze away from Tsukune, for the first time ever, walking towards the door still quietly gibbering that unknown dialect of gibbering nonsense and exited from the room.

After the succubus's abrupt and suddenly strange departure the entire room was silent for several minutes, all of them trying to absorb and measure the magnitude of the situation when the girl most obsessed with Tsukune leaves the same room as him in that state. Everybody was confused but the only person in the room that did not have any idea as to why she did, was the very person who was the cause of all of this. He turned to Moka with those confused and now quizzical eyes and asked her.

"What's going on?"

* * *

(Boy's Dormitory-Night)

Hours since Tsukune awoke in the middle of his homeroom teacher's classroom with the entire newspaper club surrounding him and still he knew not how he got there or why they all looked like they had witnessed some sort of horror, but something told him that no matter how hard he tried they would keep what they saw with them to the grave. His first impression of their reactions and their intentions proved to be correct because despite the terror that dwelled in all of their eyes they would not tell him why they were all so afraid, even after he asked them several times. They all kept this secret to themselves so badly that Kurumu herself walked out of the room and left them all just when it looked like she was about to tell Tsukune what he wanted to know. It was difficult for him to watch them act like nothing was really wrong when they were clearly disturbed by whatever it was that happened but by how determined they were not to reveal the cause made Tsukune start to believe that no matter how much he wanted to know the truth maybe he was better off not knowing.

An awkward silence fell on the group; the entire time Tsukune felt their frightened stares at his back, every time he turned he saw them flash him a quick smile and look towards one another. It was like this all day and now it was over. All Tsukune really wanted was a restful night's sleep.

Strangely, even after waking from a week long coma, Tsukune felt the warm hazy lull of sleep enwrapping his mind and it trying to invite him into its comforting grasp. It did not take long for him to reach his room, all doors slamming shut in his wake, with a sigh of relief he opened his door and let it swing open. Creating the slightest bit of cross breeze it was extremely pleasant for Tsukune, especially the face, and for a moment Tsukune lingered in the middle of the doorway for a few minutes then entered. Softly hitting the edge of his door with the heel of his shoe, listening it close shut behind him.

The soft clink of his door locking behind him was heard and Tsukune wasted no time in kicking off his school issued shoes and pulling his shirt over his head and let his skin breath for the first time. His skin was no longer smooth and scrawny but was now riddled with scar tissue, puncture marks, claw marks, and tiniest burns with just the faintest trace of what could be considered a faint muscular outlining. These were the symbols of the life that he lead since entering Youkai Academy and at the same time this was a testament to the sheer immense power of the relic that nested both underneath his face and psyche. All of these, as impressive as they were, did not concern him in the least tonight because right now all he wanted was a good night sleep.

He was so tired that he did not even bother taking off his pants or even his socks as he dragged his feet across the ugly mauve rug on the floor of his dorm room. The tiny popping static gathering on the bottom of his socks did not bother him in the least as he dragged his tired body across the floor. His mind was only occupied with the idea of restful sleep.

Though his body and mind were starting to relax before he reached the bed a lingering thought rose its way to the surface and bothered him greatly. Never once did he have a good night's sleep since the invasion of the creature and without the aid of high grade narcotics the dreamless void they promised was impossible. With slow and reluctant movements Tsukune slid under the sheets of his bed and laid his head on the pillow only to stare up at the ceiling.

It was awkward for Tsukune both his body and mind were tired and needed sleep but his soul was troubled; the after images of the various abominations that had traversed his dreamscape many times in the past and was still haunted by these visages of the truly horrific. What was worse was that he was not entirely convinced that they were wholly the materializations of the mask but perhaps the dark sordid corners of human history that were barely whispered aloud among rings of only the vilest of souls. These thoughts swam in his head Tsukune could feel his eyes beginning to droop and his eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head and the darkness of sleep took over.

_The dream sequence had begun all over again except this time it was different. Tsukune was not visited by specters of death or monstrous abominations, but instead was walking through the halls of Youkai Academy's main building. He traversed the halls like did so many times before during the day but this time it was different; the muffled sounds of his feet slapping against the linoleum floor were slow and deliberate in a way that was completely different from his own pace. This pace was overly confident and he was wondering aimlessly through the empty halls. _

_Tsukune did not know where exactly he was going but for some unknown primal reasoning he knew that wherever it was he was going and knew when he got there. Compared to the other nightmares Tsukune experienced nightly this particular dream was among the most vivid and realistic. He would have been completely convinced that he was actually traversing the Academy's halls if it were not for the fact that he was aware that it was a dream, especially when he looked down and saw that he was only wearing a pair of pants and dirt covered socks. _

_He was still staring at his feet when he blinked. In that moment he found himself transported to a completely different area within his dream academy. He was descending down a flight of stairs lightly gripping the rails; the cold polished brass metal sliding against his palm was strangely calming to him. Completely alone and silently descending downward the stairs in the hauntingly quiet academy he did not know what was going on but he blinked and once more he was transported. _

_This time walking along a hallway with numerous classroom doors ajar he awoke in his new location and he did not feel that calm feeling but instead a sensation of excitement. For some reason he knew that he was nearing the end of whatever journey he was on. This quest so to speak he did not wholly understand but he knew that it did not start with him, but he knew that it was near an end. This ecstatic feeling that he felt was also mixed with this weird uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. A lone figure stood in the middle of the hallway obstructing his way. _

_This figure was clad in a long flowing white robe with the hood pulled over his head shadowing their entire face. Only a pair of white eyes found their way out from his hood and seen dangling around his neck was a gold rosary hung by a necklace of ancient wooden beads, each cracked and knotted._

_The figure stood still and silent in the middle of the hallway. Its glowing white eyes staring directly at him, giving off an aura of power, giving the impression that it would not move out of the way for him. Tsukune did not know who or what this mysterious white figure was but in the instant his eyes laid upon him a white hot anger that he had never met before rose its ugly head out from the deepest pits of his stomach and festered in his mind. Again he did not know why but the anger that he felt seemed justified. _

_Though not fully understanding what this figure was or why he hated it so much but he did; he hated this person. He hated this figure more than anything else and he watched the figure stand perfectly still; silently denying him access to his nameless goal. The both of them were at a stand still, Tsukune and the unknown figure, until the figure broke its frozen stance with the slow raising of its right arm and extending a wrinkled and gnarled finger at his head. _

_Watching wordlessly as the mysterious robed figure pointed at him Tsukune was surprised to find that a low guttural growl emanated from his throat. This throaty growl could be almost considered wolf-like, no human could possibly produce, it intimidated Tsukune but the true target for this fear did not appear to be fazed. Instead it continued to point at him with that ancient appendage and stand in his way. It became clear to him that this mysterious figure was not going to move out of his way or allow him to reach the end of nameless quest._

_So close to completion that Tsukune stopped growling and instead produced a serpentine hiss. The cobra's hiss did not dissuade the white robed figure from standing in his way and pointing that ugly finger at him. This figure was not going to let him pass and for some unknown reason, just as unexplained as the nameless quest, he knew that time had run out for him._

_Turning his back to the robed figure and walking down the hallway he knew that his true destination was the other way. He knew that the mysterious white robed figure was still behind him, standing between him and finishing his nameless quest, the hatred for this mysterious figure still as strong as the moment his eyes laid on it. Slowly walking away from the figure with that hatred still burning deep within his gut, he knew that he was going to finish the nameless quest because he was too close to quit! With that last thought he blinked once more…_

Tsukune opened his eyes and felt the morning sun's warm fingers creeping their way through the window and playfully dancing across his face. He felt strange to say the least; his mind well-rested but his body ached with pains. He wanted to stay in bed however knowing better, he had to go to class today. Muscles aching with that strange soreness his mind went back to the strange dreams that he had the night before; they seemed so real, the sounds of his feet hitting the linoleum floors of the academy, the brass metal railings of the staircases, the hatred that stirred within when confronted by the mysterious white robed figure, all of these things from the strange dream he remembered in detail so vividly that he actually considered the possibility that it was not in fact a dream but rather he actually traversed the academy halls. For several minutes he stared up at the ceiling pondering on that possibility and wondering on how, if possible, to prove it true or false.

Over and over he went through every detail of the dream. Trying to find some kind of detail or action that happened in the dream might give him some closure on the subject but was coming up empty. He pulled the comforter down little by little he revealed his legs. At first he saw his shirtless torso which neither gave nor denied him closure because while he was shirtless in the dream he also remembered taking off his shirt when he first entered the room. Slowly but surely he drew back the comforter even farther, not stopping until he revealed his pants.

They were clean and practically pristine which again did nothing to prove or disprove his hypothesis. He stopped pulling down his sheets for a moment because a small but sudden sense of fear swelling inside. A flood of details about the dream he had the night before returned to him and he remembered that there was one small detail that he overlooked but it was this one detail that he looked so hard for; his socks.

In the dream he had the night before he remembered that his socks were dirty and covered in bits of debris but when he went to bed they were clean. This little detail, dirty or clean socks, was going to be the missing piece of the puzzle but now that the answer was so close, within his grasp it gave him pause. If his socks were dirty than it would prove that the dream was more than that and the mysterious white robed figure was real but if they were clean then it would mean that it was just all a dream if only the most realistic and strangest dream that he has had yet.

Staring at the comforter Tsukune hesitantly reached out and grasped the hem of the sheets with trembling fingers but stopped. He became hesitant about wanting to know the truth. Not knowing the truth was the ability to stay in the dark and deny that the whole thing had happened, but Tsukune knew better than that. Strong morbid curiosity, stronger than the will of his own ignorance, and growing stronger every second, he slowly pulling back the comforter with fingers trembling and his hands shaking, Tsukune had almost completely removed the comforter, the moment of truth was at hand!

Pure confusion was the only thing that followed after Tsukune revealed his whole form in the pale morning light. The boy looked down and saw not clean or dirty socks but rather a lack of them. Socks gone and bare feet with toes wriggling freely in the warmth of the sun, he did not understand what happened. When he went to bed the night before his socks on and during the dream he had the same socks on, though extremely dirty, but here in the light of day they were absent. Staring at his own feet the first thought that came to mind was that he was still dreaming and actually pinched his arm in an attempt to wake up but when he felt the pain and did not 'wake up' he knew that this was not a dream at all.

Minutes had come and gone while Tsukune's still morning addled mind tried to make sense of what was going on, knowing for a fact that he went to bed with his socks on and now they were gone. After the initial shock of waking up bare-footed the first thing Tsukune did was throw the comforter off the bed, thinking that he must of taken them off in the middle of the night but found nothing but clean and ruffled sheets.

Confused, but not for long, Tsukune cast it out of his mind, chalking it up to one of those freak disappearing sock incidents, and threw his legs over the side of his bed and relished in the feeling of the warm light of the sun beating against his back. Unintentionally letting off a small pleasurable groan as the sun filled his entire body like liquid warmth. He only wanted to sit quietly in his room and ignore the entire world but he knew deep down that it was an unrealistic dream. Once the fogginess of the morning dissipated from his mind Tsukune became aware of his surroundings the first thing he did was glance over his shoulder and examined the digital clock. Digging a hand into his face, covering his entire mouth, the clock blaring the numbers 6:32 AM showing that he had roughly two and a half hours until classes began and he was faced with two options; go back to sleep and risk missing classes or get out of bed now and get to the main academy building before anybody else.

As badly as he wanted to take the first choice Tsukune knew better and with a tired groan, lifted himself from his comfy seat and headed straight towards his closet to pull out a fresh shirt, a pair of socks, and shiny leather shoes. It took him ten minutes to get ready and after a quick and easy breakfast he left his room quietly.

* * *

(Academy building-8 AM)

Like the boy had predicted he was indeed the first student to arrive at the academy's main building but he was most definitely not the first person. Entering the building he was treated to he sight of Youkai Academy's many teachers walking through the halls with their itineraries in hand or textbooks clutched closely to their chests or had nothing at all but rather were just in a hurry to get to their respective classrooms. What he did notice was that each of them, somewhere on their person, they had a large folded up piece of paper. He was intrigued by these identical pieces of paper at first mainly because they seemed so familiar to him but quickly lost interest in them and traversed the halls.

On his way to the homeroom he noticed something strange about all of the teachers that he passed; none of them ignored or avoided him. Yesterday he was avoided by all like the plague, people taking it to the such an extreme that the only living souls he was greeted by was Moka, the academy's librarian, Gin, and a none to bright Chopper Rikiishi. Now every teacher gave him looks that fell within the same three categories; sympathetic, judgmental, or indifferent but none of them suddenly turned around and walked away from him or even just drop all subtleties and run. To him this was an amazing overnight transformation of the school's attitude towards him and he could not help but wonder what could have such a powerful impact on their perspective.

It was not long until Tsukune reached his destination and when he stopped in front of the classroom he slid the door open. The classroom was just like it was everyday except he felt that something was different about the room, what he did not know. First thing he noticed was Nekonome-sensei bending over her desk and running her hand over its polished wooden surface. It was obvious that she was uneasy; especially when her hand dipped when she went over the dent that had magically formed over night, and clearly wondering what she could do about it.

First she tried moving her cup over it but the dent was slightly wider then the cup's bottom and it to fall inward, next she thought that she could ignore it but again the dent was far too big for that to be a viable solution, finally she decided to use a huge stack of class work papers to cover it and sat down behind her desk. She did not notice Tsukune at first, she was too busy analyzing her desk and the damage, but when she did her reaction was possibly the strangest one yet; first there was shock, then the look of absolute terror that was replaced with a guilty expression and finally the somewhat airy expression that was the norm. Intertwining her fingers and staring directly at him with those large honey-colored eyes Nekonome-sensei spoke to him in that sweet and innocent voice.

"Aono Tsukune-san I'm…surprised to see you here. Classes don't start for another hour so why are you here so early?"

Tsukune did not know the answer to that particular question but he did want to answer her question, honestly. Thinking hard he came up with an answer that was both honest and most likely the closest to the truth.

"I got up early and I guess I wanted to be the first one here."

She decided not to press the issue any further and instead returned her attention to her own papers and began to mentally prepare her day. Tsukune silently made his way to the seat in the farthest corner of the classroom and silently stared out the nearest window watching, the sun slowly rise on the horizon. The hour passed by fast enough for him as his fellow students walked into the classroom. When they saw him everybody had the same emotional reaction as Nekonome-sensei; unbridled terror turned to overwhelming guilt and then their normal default emotions.

Tsukune sat at his desk, on the outside he looked as cold and uncaring as a statue but on the inside every time one of his fellow students went through this emotional state he felt a sting that was just as fresh as the first time while strangely at the same time a refreshing wave washed over him. He did not know why he felt this way but instead of over thinking these confusing emotions he let the painful stings hit him hard and the refreshing waves wash away the pain. This went on for every student that walked through the door until Kurumu walked into the classroom. She did not react like the others; there was no fear or return to her happy-go-lucky attitude but only guilty and a sense of unyielding sadness.

Tsukune could feel this sadness radiating off her in waves. It hurt when she never made eye contact with him like she did every morning. She took the seat next to his but never made eye contact with him and just stared forward at the chalkboard. He gazed at her and could see every little emotion that flashed. The fear that clearly burned in her big bright lavender eyes and the hurt she was trying to hide behind a stern and callous expression, or at least the best that she could create, and the difficulty of ignoring him.

Moka sat in the seat in front of him and turned around to see Tsukune staring at Kurumu with concern and the girl herself staring forward, trembling lightly under his gaze and as sitting as stiff as a statue. Having only a minimal grasp of what was going on, Moka let a faint frown grace her features and turned back to the blackboard. The rest of the class was quiet and even Nekonome-sensei who was usually loud and happy was now reserved and calm to the point where when she accidentally let her human guise slip, a daily event, and when one of the students was brave enough to point this out instead of overacting like she was known to do she retracted both her tail and ears and returned to teaching her students.

There was an uncomfortable tension in the air, so thick that Tsukune could taste it, it was instinct that told him that it was directed at him. Strangely this morning he could literally taste every emotion that his fellow students spewed into the air; they had mixed feelings about him instead of their usually feelings of contempt and fear there was this sense of uneasiness, as if they did not know what to make of him anymore. The strongest emotion within the mix was guilt, not directed at him but rather themselves.

This was clearly not a good thing but as far as he could tell it was not exactly bad thing either; as far as he was concerned it did not hinder him in any way. Once class was finished everybody got up and exited the room quietly and in an orderly fashion in place of their usual post-bell rush, all seemingly lost inside their own confusing thoughts. The only people who did not seem as lost in themselves were Moka and Kurumu.

Moka stayed behind with him but Kurumu left the classroom with that look of silent terror and guilt placed on her face. Never once had they made eye contact during class and when she left without saying a single word to either of them Tsukune knew that there was a problem more severe than he first expected. What must have occurred to cause such a deeply disturbing personality shift in a girl that had shown the most outwardly affection towards him and turned her into such an introvert.

Tsukune could not even fathom what could possibly cause such a radical change in a person with such a strong will and powerful personality overnight. However today was meant to try to regain whatever modicum of normalcy he could find after the incident with the Public Safety Commission and Gin's article; that's what today was meant for.

* * *

(Academy Hallways- Between Periods)

The two of them walked through the halls in silence. Moka did not speak because she was afraid that if she did then she might accidentally let slip about yesterday's events, especially since Kurumu was so clearly affected by it. The boy on the other hand was silent for a completely different reason. Silently observing the other students, taking in all of their reactions and trying to make sense of them; trying to understand where he currently stood with them. It was like they were trying to treat him like any other student, but could not contain all of their internal fear. It was like that their beliefs about him had been challenged and now they did not know what to make about him.

Tsukune was so caught up in the storm of his own thoughts that he did not really pay attention to where he was going. On occasion he would become aware of his surrounds for a minute or two; the first time he was walking through some random hallway with every student giving him and Moka at least a five-foot bubble of personal space, then after a good amount of time he felt the cool brass metals of a stairwell railing sliding against the palm of his hand and the feeling of him descending downward to one of the lower floors of the academy. After awhile he noticed that he was walking down a hallway.

Tsukune stopped himself, the other students keeping their distance and walking around the two of them, and Moka stood next to him with not the look of anxiety that had become the norm but rather curious confusion as to why Tsukune had stopped in the middle of a hallway and most importantly why he was heading in the wrong direction.

The boy stood quietly in the middle of hallway and took in every little detail that his eyes beheld, and for the fist time he felt fear and knew what he was scared of. The classroom doors and each and every linoleum tile on the floor were so familiar; this was where his need to finish the nameless quest was hindered. The thudding in his chest from his racing heart and breath caught in his throat, he realized that he finally got the answer he was looking for; the dream was real!

Moka was able to reach Tsukune by gently grabbing at his shoulder and shaking him lightly in order to bring him out of whatever mental state he was lost in and brought him back to reality. Tsukune immediately turned to her with the exact same look as hers; curious confusion. The pink haired girl did not understand why he was confused, possibly from where he currently was because when he turned to her he asked her one question.

"How did we get here?"

Moka did not understand; after all she had followed him to this exact spot. Quietly and with as much respect as possible Moka answered him with discretion, even with the students leaving them alone she was aware that even the slightest irregularity would send their wavering beliefs in the wrong direction and forever would be labeled as the violent freak.

"Tsukune you came here from Nekonome-sensei's class and I followed you. Why you came here I don't know though…math class is on the fourth floor, the only thing that's really on this floor is the academy library…"

The academy library! The moment he heard Moka tell him where he was heading Tsukune knew that the answer to the dream he had last night, the true goal of the nameless quest, was in the academy library. Here he was, with the exception of the multitude of students, unobstructed. The more his mind obsessed on the library the clearer it became that whatever his unconscious mind was after would be in the academy library; it was vast, possibly the biggest room in the entire academy, definitely the biggest he had ever been in, the way that the rows were set up were almost labyrinthine so it was easy to get lost if you never been there before, and the librarian had chased after him like a guard dog when he came close to that one particular sectioned-off row even after the release of Gin's article.

The true goal of the nameless quest must be in the academy library and most likely hidden within that sectioned-off row of dusty tomes and eldritch books. This is when a sudden and very peculiar thought hit him. He could go there. Right now there were only the other students in his way and they were keeping a good five feet away from him so they were no hindrance to him and he was sure that he could get pass that one librarian if he tried. He could finish this nameless quest right here, right now.

"Tsukune we have to leave or we'll be late for our next class."

"Okay…"

This time it was Moka who led the way and it was Tsukune who followed her. As much as his mind obsessed with the idea of finishing the nameless quest that he had known since the night before, but when Moka told him that they were going to be late he was more than happy for the excuse, he wanted to know what the goal of the nameless quest was and he was so close to the end that he could taste it on the tip of his tongue and that scared him more than anything else. Nothing that mysterious should obsess his thoughts this badly.

Gladly he followed the girl and hoped that she would take his mind off the obsession. He followed her blindly, making sure that he went up every staircase and down every hallway. Eventually it came to the point where trailing Moka became natural and his mind began to wander like before, his thoughts stuck on the nameless quest and on how close he had come to his goal but did not reach it for a second time. His mind preoccupied with the idea of coming so close to the nameless quest that he did not realize that he was beginning to stray from Moka until she herself realized it and called out to him.

"Tsukune you're going the wrong way again! That way goes toward the academy library; we have to go this way if we're going to make it to class on time."

She pointed in the opposite direction and stared at him with concern glimmering in her jade eyes. A burning sense of embarrassment hit him, he did not know how but he felt that somehow his internal compass had been compromised, maybe by the creature living inside his head, and if he did not keep up his concentration his body would likely steer him towards the academy library, pushing him to finish the nameless quest.

* * *

(Math Classroom)

The room was packed and because of their little detour the two had arrived late so they were not able to sit to sit together like they usually did. Moka sat down in one of the seats in the front row and Tsukune sat in one of the back seats, but still within the same row, both remaining silent. It did not take long for the teacher to arrive but when she did the whole room became silent and it was quite easy to understand why.

Ririko Kagome was her name and to say that she was beautiful would be a great insult to the woman; her face was had slight roundness to it which had a very pleasant effect to the rest of her facial features, her cheeks and skin glowing with life and were blushed and warm-looking, a small mole which rested just above her right cheek, her lips pouty and held a gorgeous burgundy-coloring, but most captivating about her face was the pair of viridian green eyes that were half-hidden behind long blond bangs.

Those eyes held a mischievous twinkle about them as if they were hiding a devious secret that only the most observant would catch. The qualities of her body were just as attractive as her face; her neck was slender and whatever skin was exposed looked softer than the richest, most expensive of silks, her breasts were just as full and pouty as her aforementioned lips and moved with every breath that she took and were pressed hard against the tight leather corset that laid underneath the white blouse she wore over it. Below that she wore a skirt of black leather that shined with an almost polished sheen and ended just above her knees, and a pair of fishnet stockings so fine that unless you were on your knees staring directly at them you would mistake them for a pair common pair of silken hosiery. The entire class was silent and watched this beautiful specimen of a woman walk from the door to the blackboard, the soft clinking of her high heeled shoes on the linoleum sending shivering fingers up the spines of the males in the room.

This was a common reaction to the beauty that was Ririko Kagome and she was well-aware of her effect on the male species. She didn't use her charms to manipulate unknowing boys into doing whatever she liked or curse her beauty for all of the male attention it brought her, but instead embraced it and used it to better her beloved students. They lusted after her; this was a fact. So she wore seductive leather outfits under her wholesome white blouses and rewarded those who were diligent in their work with a one-on-one tutoring session. Many of the staff would disagree with her teaching methods, saying that she whored her looks in order to further education but as far as she was concerned her student's education was worth any price.

Knowing all eyes laid on her the leather-clad beauty calmly sashayed towards the chalkboard and wrote down algebraic equation after algebraic equation. The soft chinking of chalk against the chalkboard and the scratching sounds of pencils on paper filled the room quickly. It was an amazing sight seeing all of these students concentrating so hard on their work when a beautiful older woman wearing a black leather skirt that was stretched tightly across her luscious round backside stood in front of them but it was clear that it was not out of respect but rather out of lust. In their own pathetic perverse way to better their grades and win one of those coveted private tutoring lesson. Every male student was to busy writing down and solving the equations that Ririko-sensei wrote down on the board and surprisingly the girls in the classroom did not seem to mind this fact and just concentrated on their own work.

After fifteen minutes of silence Ririko-sensei put down her piece of chalk, half of its original size, and turned around to face her classroom. Before the teacher even had to ask almost every single male hand rose into the air each one hoping that she would pick on them to solve the chalkboard of problems. Ririko-sensei scanned the sea of waving hands and bouncing bottoms and noticed one boy who did not seem so eager to answer her equations.

Tsukune tried to hide behind the many squirming students, making himself as small as possible, and raising a hand over one side of his face but unfortunately all of these attempts to hide made him stick out like a sore thumb and Ririoko-sensei picked up on it immediately.

"Aono Tsukune-kun, please come up to the board and solve at least one of these equations."

All at once the males in the classroom let out a collective groan of disappointment surprising Tsukune. Apparently their lust for their math teacher was greater than their uneasiness about him. Rising from his seat with a forlorn look he began to trek towards the chalkboard examining every single problem on the board. Slowly he made his way towards the chalkboard ignoring the surprising amounts of nasty looks and scornful sneers from his fellow male students. When he noticed that he did not understand a single equation that was written on the board.

He could feel himself starting to freak out over what he was going to do when he got to the board. At first he considered that he would just admit that he did not understand any of the equations but about halfway it dawned on him that that plan could backfire on him; make him look stupid, open him to ridicule and cement their preconceived notions of him being some dim-witted brute. Almost at the board he could feel the white-hot angry stares of the male students at the back of his head and the pouty gaze of the blond-haired teacher in front of him he knew that the only way to deal with this situation was to somehow solve one of those problems on the chalkboard.

Once there Ririko handed him a piece of chalk. Nervously he took it and turned to the chalkboard, looking up at the equations that seemed to stare down at him like the Great Judges of man and apparently they found him unworthy. The numbers and letters, the way they were formed made them look like some antediluvian and guarded language that had not felt the gaze of a living thing in countless centuries. For several minutes he gawked at the chalkboard until a soft ahem from Ririko-sensei brought him out of his self-induced panic attack only to be pushed into a depressing episode when his teacher spoke.

"Well Aono Tsukune-kun, are you going to answer one of the equations? Or did you spend every class daydreaming?"

Her voice was soft and more feminine than anyone else but none of that softened the blow of her words. He had been paying attention, to an extent, but his life was so chaotic; dealing with the frequent challenges to a title that he did not want, being with being the school pariah, dealing with the malignant spirit trying to poison him on a daily basis and trying to hide its affects on his mental status from those he cared most about in this school, the idea of learning algebra being high on his to-do list was completely ridiculous.

The hurt of those words were amplified when the male students in the class started to snigger and laugh at him. Their lust truly was greater than their fear. For the first time he could feel their condescension and he did not like it. Anger burning on the inside and he did not like it one bit, true that he did not want them to fear him but their ridicule was the one thing that he hated even more. Before he could stop Tsukune found himself violently twisting his head at Ririko-sensei with an ugly sneer on his face and snapped at her.

"I WASN'T DAYDREAMING! I CAN ANSWER THESE NO PROBLEM!"

He did not mean to snap at her, somehow his usual calm and submissive personality was overpowered by his frustration and pride, but when he did, he heard the sound of several dozen chairs being pushed back suddenly and all of the male students standing out of their seats. No idea on what it was they were planning to do and by the looks on their faces he guessed that they were at an equal loss, their lust for their teacher was powerful but they still remembered the Public Safety Commission incident and understood that if they did anything and he retaliated…their was nothing that they could do.

Uncertainty glittering brightly in the eyes of the male students but the last thing he wanted was to add anything to his already impressive history so he returned his gaze to Ririko-sensei with a extremely apologetic look in his eyes. Surprisingly, the beautiful blond woman did not seem fazed by his sudden outburst, but instead had a simple yet happy look about her gently features and waved her hand gracefully back towards the chalkboard, the universal sign of 'Go right on ahead.'.

Gulping audibly and wishing that he had not let his emotions get the better of him, he stared at Ririko-sensei with eyes that tried to convey how much he regretted his decision and begged for any kind of reprieve from this impossible task set in front of him but either she did not notice or did not see fit to grant him the acquittal that he so desperately desired. An extremely small and quiet sigh made it pass his lips and he turned back to the towering chalkboard and the judging algebraic symbols that bore down upon him.

'_This is impossible…'_

'_**Not impossible, ask and I'll help.'**_

Fighting the shock of the creature speaking to him suddenly and in such a nonchalant and honest manner; however he did not trust it one bit, especially since it said that it wanted to help with something like algebra. He let it know it by letting out a mental snort of derision and snapping at it.

'_You helping me? That's a bunch of bull! And besides what would you know about algebra?"_

'_**Dammit you're right! I've only been here since the fuckin' Big Bang and observed all since. I possess a working knowledge of all realities and know of what lies behind the veil of sanity, what could I possibly know about high school algebra?'**_

Once more the creature put Tsukune in his place but now was not the time or place. His lack of insight concerning the creature was a blunder on his part; he always believed it to be a creature of violence that knew pleasure only through the pain and suffering of others, he was right of course, but he never thought it having any knowledge of the world. It always bragged about having ultimate knowledge of the universe and all of its secrets were it's to own but he honestly thought it was lies. Thinking about it know the idea of a immortal being existing since the very beginning and learning absolutely nothing since then, including high school algebra, was a bit absurd. Tsukune knew what he had to do if he was to save face with both Ririko-sensei and the entire academy. He had to listen to what the creature told him.

Swallowing the bitterest thing he possibly could; his pride. Shakily he reached up to the nearest equation, it did not matter which. Tsukune waited for something to happen, though he did not know what, and started feel like a sheer moron just standing at the chalkboard with a piece of chalk in his hand. He did not know what was supposed to happen; maybe the creature would take him over like during the Kuyou incident, perhaps it was going to move his hand and make his body write the correct answer, or maybe it would just tell him the correct answer which seemed simplest.

For the longest time he felt like the creature in his head was just trying to make him look like a jackass in front of the classroom and succeeding. He stared up at the confusing, cryptic, and menacing hieroglyphic equations…slowly starting to make sense to him. He was starting to feel a sense of amazement as the once horrifying symbols were beginning to make sense to him; slowly at first but the confusing signs no longer looked like these menacing symbols of the weird. Now in his mind they looked more like letters that formed words which lined up to create a story that he could now easily read and where the answer needed to be written, they simply were where he had to write the missing words to the story.

For the first time since coming up to the chalkboard his hand did not shake nor did his heart race so fast that the idea of it bursting out of his chest did not seem so ridiculous. He was so filled with confidence that with a steady hand he wrote down the correct answer to every equation he could reach. The entire classroom watched in awed silence as Tsukune wrote on the chalkboard and, in Tsukune's mind, fill in the blanks.

His hand was steady when he answered the first of the equations but after that he found himself experiencing something strange; an intellectual awakening. After his mind saw the once intimidating mathematical symbols become more like letters and answered the first equation his mind began to think in ways that he never believed possible, started to have thoughts that were truly…unconventional.

His mind raced from subject to subject; like thousands of his own voices asking questions and simultaneously answering them. Theories and hypotheses started to form too numerous to count; one was a comparison between the behavior of animals with hive mentalities to political communism, another was a philosophical extension to 'I think therefore I am' delving into the idea that if man is purely the actions of his thoughts then was thought purely of man? These thoughts were profound and he honestly believed that he did not have enough mental depth to have them under normal circumstances. But the more he thought the more he found that they were not all winners. One thought was of the mathematical formula for toast, not the making of, just toast and finally there was a thought about if squirrels had nuclear capabilities how much trouble would mankind really be in?

It was not just math, science, and philosophy that filled his thoughts but also the arts and literature. Lines from books he had never read flashed in his memories; Faust, Homer's Iliad, The Divine Comedy Dante's Inferno, War and Peace. Notes from thousands of symphonies and the most famous concertos danced in front of his eyes and at the same time he saw the creations of paintings that have stayed the test of time, their creations and the secrets behind them. Before Tsukune was afraid of a few high school algebra problems but now as his hand finished answering the last of the equations on the board he knew that he had to get these complex thoughts out of his head and into the world.

"Very impressive Aono Tsukune-kun I guess you weren't daydreaming after all. You may go back-"

Suddenly Tsukune rushed from his spot, accidentally bumping into Ririko-sensei, causing another simultaneous upraise of male students, and went right for the teacher's material cabinet. It was a small metal cabinet tucked away in the corner of the classroom. Thrusting open the cabinet doors, seeing that it was filled with blank papers and other teaching materials, none of that matter to him and grabbed a single box of colored chalk. Rushing back to the chalkboard Ririko-sensei tried to cry out in protest but whatever she might have said was lost on both her and the boy who grabbed an eraser and started to make huge sweeps across the board.

Clearing the board of the problems that he finished answering Tsukune opened the box of multi-colored chalks and reached for a bright yellow piece and began to write. Everyone watched Tsukune in silent awe, similar to before but at the same time nowhere near the same, as the boy whose grades showed absolutely no evidence of academic promise began to write down strange and advanced mathematical symbols and equations.

Moka watched as Tsukune moved with the speed and grace of a person possessed by an artistic spirit with his hands moving with the fluidity of running water. He drew colorful isometric cubes, spheres and other complex geometric shapes that no one except Ririko-sensei knew their names. Fibonacci spirals drawn in rainbows filled the board along with advanced equations. There was an amazing transformation taking place in front of the entire classroom. No longer was the student standing in front of the class filling the chalkboard with these alien equations a mere boy but had apparently become a conduit to some font of human knowledge.

Everyone was amazed by this startling and queer turn of events but the one person who was truly enthralled by all of this was Ririko-sensei herself. The blond buxom math teacher stared at her student with wide viridian eyes glistening in the light as they drunk in the marvels that were being written on her very own chalkboard. Ririkio stood silently in her high heels as the boy continued to fill her chalkboard with these intricate mathematical equations and wondered how much more of this beauty he had left in him, she hoped that it would never end even after he ran out of room on the board and began to write on the walls with a black permanent marker he had plucked from her desk. The boy wrote with a ferocity like none have known before but broke the moment the period bell rang out through the halls.

The shrillness of the ringing bell was enough to pull him out of the daze that he was sucked into and once the unique train of thought was metaphorically derailed and so stopped the equations, music and quotes. It took a while but when Tsukune found his hands covered in colored chalk dust and gripping a black permanent marker. He saw what he had done and immediately threw away the marker and turned to the class all of them staring back at him with mixed looks of incredulity and alarm. Tsukune had no idea about what had happened to him or how he ended up writing these strange mathematical equations all over the walls of Ririko-sensei's classroom but when the trance was cut short by the screaming bell and saw that all of his classmates eyes, including Moka's and Ririko's, he did the only thing that felt right; ran out of the classroom door and sped through the halls.

* * *

(Academy Hallways)

The account of what happened in Ririko-sensei's math class had spread like wild fire and it did not help that instead of erasing the things he wrote down on the board Rirko kept it up for all to see. Tsukune ran through the halls, trying to avoid making eye contact with the staring masses, doing the best he could to keep a calm exterior but on the inside his confusion had risen to whole new heights. Such a radical change in his thought process was possibly the most eerie thing he had ever experienced in his life. It was even more of a jarring sensation then his bodily transformations. However, the real surprise for him was that he missed the sudden surge of knowledge; the dancing notes of histories most famous musical ballads and orchestra's dancing in front of his eyes, being able to read even the most multifaceted of mathematical symbols like the simplest of words, and the ability to conjure up texts and scripture from the most ancient books and poems from memory in an instant gave him a rush of power that he had never felt before. But now that it was so far out of reach and he never felt so weak. Upon close examination anyone would see several disturbing symptoms; his hands trembled lightly and his fingers twitched violently, skin visibly shivering like he was struck with a sudden chill while sweat gathered along the ridge of his brow as if a fever burned hotly in his brain.

Scratching and clawing at whatever exposed skin his hand could reach. Several times Tsukune could be seen reaching up and quickly wiping his finger under his nose as if to brush some nonexistent thing away. These were the telltale signs of withdrawal and try as he might in stopping the fidgeting and twitches of his body he could not help but draw the stares of several students and staff who were making their own respective ways. Brain burning hotter and hotter after every step he took Tsukune soon came to realize, even in this fevered state of mind, that he needed a quiet spot to gather whatever thoughts he could.

It did not take him long to find his little oasis off in some far flung corner of a hallway that was left deserted. Resting his shivering body against the wall and draping his arm lazily over a stray water fountain he began to calm himself down.

The moment his draped hand touched the cool porcelain of the water fountain his already freezing skin felt like it was being burnt but that did not bother him enough to stop his fingers scrambling for the metal fountain head, pressing hard on the button and releasing a jet of water. Greedily he lapped up water by the mouthfuls in order to parch the undying thirst that attacked his throat. It was amazing the way the cool water felt splashing against his cracked lips and the sense of refreshment that came with it. He could swear that he must have guzzled down about a gallon of water before his aching lungs begged him to take a breath of fresh air.

Just as he greedily drunk from the fountain he too greedily gulped in as much fresh air as his lungs could hold. It did not take long for him to regain his composure but immediately felt the ache of the day accumulating in his knees and the other joints of his body. Managing to keep himself up even as the weight of the world bore down on his shoulders and the stresses of life gnawed at his spirit. The high from attaining a unyielding knowledge of human history was the greatest experience of his young life so far but the crash afterwards was without a doubt the second worst thing in his young life as well; freezing skin, burning blood and brains, uncontrollable twitching and scratching, it was enough to drive him mad but to his credit he retained whatever little bit of his frayed sanity he had left and tried to relax his aching body against the wall.

He was physically and spiritually drained and had been ever since he first putt on this cursed object, but when he felt that outflow of knowledge ooze into his brain he could feel that weight and the ache that accumulated over the months melt away. The rejuvenation of his body and the power that came with tapping into this font of knowledge was the most alive he had felt; so powerful was the sensation that it sent his head spinning just from the memory. He wanted more of it, he had to have more, not for the knowledge at his fingertips but for the sense of relief that came with it.

Doing his best to recover, his ears picked up the sounds of footsteps heading his way. From the way the footsteps 'clinked' instead of an abrupt 'slap' Tsukune quickly deduced that it was most likely a woman, or at the very least someone wearing heeled shoes, coming his way. His stomach very nearly knotted inside. He knew how he looked at that very moment and was well aware that after the stunt he pulled in Ririko-sensei's room the wild look in his eyes, his sweat drenched hair which stuck out at odd ends, and his clothes wrinkled and smelt lightly of sweat.

Without thinking he reached for the button on the fountain's head and began to splash whatever little water he could on his face. The feeling of whatever sweat that had dried on his skin dripping down his face with the water cutting through the collected grime on his face. He collected more water and used it to slick back his hair and attempt to get it somewhat under control. Those footsteps closing in on him fast the next thing he did was let his hands fly towards the collar of his shirt and tried to straighten out his shirt as best as he could. Unaware how he looked now he could only hope that his appearance was close to a normal one and that the person coming around the corner was not too perturbed by his sudden appearance when they turned the corner.

In a surprising turn of events when the pair of heeled shoes turned the corner he found that they were attached to the feet of Akashiya Moka. Somehow the girl had found him in this deserted little hallway despite the sheer vastness that was Youkai Academy. She stood there with her arms at her side and what appeared to be a small yet sad smile on her face while gazing upon him with those jade green eyes. Tsukune could not help but wonder how it was that she could always seem to find him whenever he tried to gather his thoughts and tried to make sense of how his life was ending up; it was eerie to say the least.

Minutes passing and Tsukune doing his best trying to get over the withdrawal of tasting that knowledge he could not help but notice Moka's behavior at that moment; she was shying away from him slightly and was surprisingly quiet considering what he had done. Usually she was excited and happy whenever something like this happened to him, she might have congratulated him or joked that he had let her get better test scores on purpose but this time was different. It was the look that she was giving him that set him off; it was the look someone gave another when they pitied them but at the same time did not want them to know that fact. Tsukune got the impression that she was waiting for him to admit something; to confess. His confusion about her behavior increased when she drew in close and draped her arms around his shoulders and embraced him with a hug.

Stunned he was by her sudden gentle embrace and for a second he had expected her to bite down on his neck like she usually did but not this time. She held him tenderly and also at the same time firmly. It was almost like she was trying to comfort him, sensing all of his angst, and this was the only thing she could think of. What really confused him most about this entire ordeal was when Moka leaned in close and whispered.

"Gomen Tsukune…"

Those words were lost on him. Why was she apologizing? What did she have to apologize for? The arms she draped around his shoulders tightened lightly and once more she spoke quietly in his ear.

"Gomen Tsukune…for not believing you…"

With those few little words Tsukune's heart was nearly thrown into his throat. What could she have meant by not believing him? Racking his brain he tried of think of what she was apologizing for but in all honesty he did not try that hard. The feeling of Moka's arms tightening around his body had the very same effect as tapping into the font of knowledge; all of ache and bodily weariness melted away within her embrace.

"So there you are!"

The both of them jumped out from their embrace from fright and saw Ririko-sensei standing by the corner, tapping one of her heels angrily and glaring daggers at both of them. Wasting no time the buxom blond math teacher stomped towards them, her heels snapping angrily on the linoleum floors, both of them pressed against the wall as the angry blond came for them both.

"I knew that if I followed Akashiya Moka-san I would eventually find you."

A crimson blush flash across her face. Ririko-sensei stood in front of the both of them, her arms crossed under her voluptuous chest and her normally pouty face scrunched up and nose wrinkled at them both. Neither of them really understood why she was here but Tsukune suspected that she was angry about what he did in her classroom. The buxom blond stared him in the eye and closed whatever little space was between the two of them. She was so close that Tsukune could feel the woman's soft leather corset-covered chest against his own, the flickering light dancing in her dark green eyes, the scent of perfume and leather filling his nostrils. Before he knew what was going on she lifted her right hand and poked him in the chest with a sharp nailed finger painted a bright dangerous red.

"I call you up to my board to answer one algebra problem and not only do you erase every problem that I painstakingly wrote but you fill my board with what appeared to be advanced geometric theorems and super-string theory equations and draw on the walls of my classroom in permanent marker then you run out of my classroom the moment the bell rings?"

He thought he was in trouble but the last thing he expected was for his teacher to suddenly grab him by the shoulders, her thumbs gently rubbing circles, and her giving him the sweetest of smiles.

"From your grades I never would have guessed it but now that I have seen it with my own eyes it's clear that you are a genius; a late bloomer obviously but a genius of the highest caliber."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

'_**Huh?'**_

Everyone was shocked silent by Ririko-sensei's sudden accusation of Tsukune's mental prowess. He knew that there was no chance of him ever becoming a genius and the real reason behind his intellectual episode was the creature living in his head. Ririko stood in front of Tsukune and stared at him with those twinkling eyes that lay behind a pair of glasses and smiled at him like he was he most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Trying to resist but Ririko-sensei proving to be surprisingly strong considering her petite built, the math teacher managed to wrap one arm around his shoulder and pull him away from Moka.

Mechanically Moka tried to follow them but the moment she took a step the buxom blond spun around while keeping her arm tightly wound around Tsukune's shoulder and gave Moka a venomous glance and a quick once-over, starting from her head down to her toes than back up. A tiny sneer came to Ririko-sensei's face and she spoke to Moka in a sickly sweet tone of voice.

"Akashiya Moka-san…I've had the pleasure of perusing your grades as well. They were impressive but in my honest opinion you'll never be more than just above average. Now if you excuse me I believe that I was going to bring Tsukune back with me. Genius of this magnitude needs to be nurtured and you are nothing more than a distraction…a sweaty one at that."

Caught off guard by that last remark but she found it to be true when she looked down to examine herself and saw her shirt splotched with dark sweat stains that must have gotten there after she hugged him. After taking in how her shirt looked now Moka turned her head up and glared at the older woman who glared back with a small but victorious smirk on her face. Moka did not know what to say at that moment but she did managed to get one sentence out.

"Tsukune is my friend and-"

"Pardon me but aren't you late for your next class? Don't worry Tsukune-kun since you are with me I'm sure you will be excused from the rest of your classes for today."

Looking over his shoulder Tsukune watched Moka shrink away in the distance. He tried to wriggle out of the woman's grip but she held onto him tighter than he imagined was possible for a woman of her build. Moka watched the both of them disappear from her line of sight, standing there against the wall with a look of angry stunned shock on her face. The pink haired vampiress did not know what to do but under her breath Moka said one word.

"Bitch."

* * *

(Math Classroom)

During the entire time that Tsukune was forcibly directed towards Ririko-sensei's room he wondered what she was going to do to him. She seemed happy about what he did and talked about nurturing his genius. Exhilaration was the only word that fit Ririko-sensei's current mood while anxiety was more appropriate for Tsukune; the math teacher talked about the boy's genius and that with her help it was possible for him to become the biggest name in the mathematical world. All Tsukune could think about his complete and utter inability to comprehend even the memory of what he did. Ririko-sensei wanted nothing more than to see that genius but what Tsukune knew the actuality he was nowhere near the genius she believed him to be or any kind of genius for that matter. He did not know what she was going to do when she figured that out.

It did not take long for the both of them to reach her classroom again, less than ten minutes, and during the entire time they were walking the buxom blond talked about what he did and what his future held. Not even taking notice of the anxious expression plastered on Tsukune's face she reached out, swung open her classroom door and led him inside.

Once Tsukune was inside he saw for the first time with a level-head his own handiwork and realized how much trouble he was in; the entire chalkboard, which was roughly the length of one entire wall and half the height, was filled with colored mathematical symbols and shapes that ranged from isometric cubes, geometrical spheres, and even shapes that he had no idea what their names were. Normally he never would have the power or dexterity in his fingers to draw such complex angles and shapes let alone so many of them along with the numerous amounts of colored calculations that were even more frightening than Ririko-sensei's original high school-grade algebra.

More complex than the shapes were the equations themselves because though they made perfect sense to him about an hour ago they now resembled a hodgepodge of letters and numbers being multiplied, divided, added or subtracted from one another and very possibly other things as well. Senses overloaded by being accosted with so many confusing symbols and equations. Finally he saw that among the shapes and equations the chalkboard was littered with spirals varying in sizes and each a veritable cornucopia of colors.

What truly uneasy him the most was the fact that all of these equations, shapes, and colorful spirals did not end at the chalkboard but eventually oozed outward towards the walls in ugly black permanent ink. The bottom of the half of the wall that was not covered by the chalkboard was now covered with similar equations, queer multi-angled shapes, and the same spirals all written in ugly black permanent marker.

The entire wall was covered from top to bottom and the only memory of this that Tsukune had was the actual writing and drawing but not of what he did in between. He did not remember switching chalk pieces or running out of space on the chalkboard or even reaching for the permanent marker. All he remembered were the equations in his head and how badly he needed to get them out. Staring at the board full of complex calculation the buxom blond standing next to him was doing the same but having a completely different reaction.

The beautiful woman next to Tsukune continued to gaze at both the chalkboard and wall with a twinkle of wonderment in her eyes and eventually started to tear at what she beheld. To this woman what she was gazing upon was like a picture painted by one of the great masters, it was bold while at the same time holding an air of subtle beauty about it. The calculations written on the board were more beautiful than anything else she had seen before; the intricacy and complexity behind them were amazing and she was perhaps the only person in this entire academy who could truly appreciate the full meaning behind them.

After what seem to be forever, Ririko-sensei finished taking in the majesty that was the written on the chalkboard by the boy standing next to her and walked towards the left edge of the chalkboard. Tsukune watched with mild surprise when he watched Ririko-sensei's fingers wrapped around the edge of the chalkboard. One fluid movement she pulled on it and watched the entire chalkboard slide open, disappearing into the wall, revealing a whole new room behind it.

The room itself was too dark to make out anything tangible but Ririko-sensei more than happily strolled into the darkness with the slightest hint of an evil smile on her lips. Tsukune on the other hand did not follow his teacher, not immediately, nervous about what was happening and the idea of walking into a dark room hidden behind the chalkboard he defiled just an hour before did not sit well with him. He could hear Ririko-sensei's voice calling for him from within the darkness, his body tentatively moved on its own, allowing the darkness of the hidden room to swallow him whole.

The darkness that inhabited the room was thicker then he first came to believe so his eyes were not able to adjust as fast as he wanted. It only took a few seconds for Tsukune to be thoroughly creeped out enough to decide that he wanted to get out as fast as bodily possible. Twisting on the spot he could see the light of the classroom burning in front of him but that quickly disappeared as the chalkboard trapdoor slid shut, shutting him inside. At first he had no idea what was happening but at the very least his eyes began to adjust to the blackness. He could tell the room had several shapes laying about the room that might have been tables and on top of them were dozens of semi-rounded object with sticks sticking out from the tops. The feeling of unease had settled heavily in this room and he could feel it filling his lungs with every breath.

"Welcome, Aono Tsukune-kun, to my private classroom."

The furthest left corner of the room fire sprung out from nowhere and raced along from wall to wall, filling the once pitch-black room with the faint ambiance of candle light. The light revealed the true nature of the room and at first sight he felt a shiver run up his spine. Right in assuming that the shapes were tables in the sense they had four wooden legs attached to a long planks of grimy wood but what truly disturbed him were the semi-rounded objects that laid on top of the now these tables; human skulls, sockets hollowed, and teeth discolored and chipped.

There were dozens of skulls piled up on either side of the three tables and each and every one of them had a stick of melted candle wax stuck on the base of their craniums. The flames that burned on top of the skull candles were faint, adding to the harshly macabre vibe that permeated from the blackened and chipping walls.

Tsukune was unaware of the existence of such a room in Youkai Academy and something told him that very few did. Looking around Tsukune knew right away that it was a bad idea for him to have entered and now he wanted to leave even though the only exit he knew of was shut tight. Not understanding what was going on he tried to find the woman who called him into this dreadful room that hid behind the chalkboard. Shadows played in the corners of the room and the blackness that once wholly consumed the room now clung to the ceiling, threatening to plummet on his head again. Tsukune could swear that he was all alone when the sensation of sharp fingernails wrapping around his shoulders almost made him jump but the sudden surge of will power was enough to keep himself still.

"Come now Aono Tsukune-kun, please sit and we'll get started on that very bright future of yours."

The leather wearing beauty was behind him and led him to the nearest table. The glow from the skull candles reflected off the grimy surface of the table, clearly that at one point it must have been varnished but because of the years of melted wax, dust, and other various dirt it was impossible to know for sure. When Tsukune was close enough the teacher brought out a small stool from the darkness and sat him down in front of the table. The piles of skulls on either side of table leered at him with the dim candle light flickering in their empty sockets, giving the illusion that they were glaring down, or in some cases up, at him and sneering at him with chipped teeth. Out from the corner of his eye he could see Ririko-sensei's hand sliding a notebook in front of him along with a pencil.

Ririko-sensei moved to his side and he saw teacher for the first time since he entered the room and what he saw nearly made his eyes pop. The blond woman sat on top of the table and threw away the conservative white blouse, fully exposing the black leather corset which hugged her generous chest tightly, leather gloves now covered her tiny hands and gripped in her right was a short riding crop. His eyes traveled further down and noticed that she traded her average length leather skirt for an even shorter version, a pair of black diamond-pattern fishnet stockings and heeled boots. The woman looked down at him with a warm but mischievous smile while rapping the end of her riding crop against her leather-clad palm and uttered a single command with an overpoweringly demanding tone of voice.

"Write."

Needing not to be told twice and immediately grabbed the pencil and opened the notebook to the first page. She seemed more than excited about this turn of events but Tsukune on the other hand was more confused than anything else. He held the pencil with a tight grip and put its graphite tip against the paper but that was all he could do. Furiously he tried to get his brain to think like it did before but without the assistance from the now silent beast in his head all he could do was keep the pencil tip on the paper.

Apparently he was taking too long and his hesitation was irritated Ririko-sensei enough to whip Tsukune in the thigh with her riding crop eliciting a painful gasp from him. Tsukune tried to recoil away but was hit again and again by the domineering woman until temporarily whipped into submission. It took awhile but it seemed that she was happy with the results and ordered him again but with a softer tone.

"Write like before."

Twisting back to the notebook, Tsukune wanted to write like he did before but still nothing was coming. For the first time he was scared and not for the reasons that he had come to accustomed to; fear for his life, sanity, possibility of becoming the permanent social pariah were one thing but this was the fear of a inexperienced male faced with a sexually domineering mature woman. A fear like no other.

As if sensing the boy's fear, Ririko-sensei gently dragged the end of her riding crop across the surface of his cheek with an almost compassionate touch but Tsukune felt his body betray him by flinching from her touch. Ririko-sensei slid off from her seat, disturbing several of the skulls from their perch, and slinked behind Tsukune's seat. The sound of her heeled boots clinking against the stony floor below sent micro-shivers up his spine. Sliding her hands around his shoulders, dangerously close to his neck, he once again fought the involuntary urge to jump.

The feeling of her soft warm breath on his cheek and the strap from the end of her riding crop tickling his nose was hard enough but when he could her the sound of her heart beating heavily in that bountiful chest of hers he knew right away that she was more than enjoying this torment; she was getting off on it. With a little carefree sigh that brushed against the tip of his ear the elder woman spoke out loud in a thoughtful and wispy manner.

"Oh Aono Tsukune-kun I don't know what could possibly be wrong? Why won't you do as I've asked?"

It was strange but before his mind had any time to think of what to say his mouth spoke.

"I don't know! If I could I would but I don't know how I did what I did!"

Another sigh passed Ririko-sensei lips and she removed herself from his shoulders and planted herself by his side with one hand lightly gripping him. He could feel her gaze on him, the skin on the back of his neck prickling, and instinctually he knew that she had on the same expression she had on just before she whipped him for the first time.

"Aono Tsukune-kun, what you wrote on the wall of my classroom are mathematical expressions ranging from advanced geometric growth equations, Super M theory, the Fibonacci Sequence, Quantum mechanics, P vs NP problem and Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness, two of the seven millennium problems. To be able to write these equations from memory in such the flawless fashion that you performed in is not an accident. You have a gift that is ready to burst out into the world and the only person who can help you is me."

The manner in which she spoke was like she was not there with him in the room. The woman did not seem to be anywhere in particular mentally when she recalled his deeds. He was so wrapped up in the nervous tension and fear that this woman had and still inflicting on him that he was unaware of the feathery soft slithering noise from somewhere in the darkness behind him.

"Will you let me help you…Aono Tsukune-kun?"

He did not understand what she meant but he was smart enough to know that what she was asking was a rhetorical question she was asking. Twisting his head the boy faced the woman with eyes the size of saucers that were filled to the brim with confused anxiety and spoke, oblivious to the growing slithering noises in the darkness behind them both.

"What do you-mphg!"

* * *

(Five days later- Hallways)

One hundred and twenty hours, that's how long it was since she last seen Tsukune. Moka still remembered the look that was on his face, slight uncertainty with equal parts anxiety, and most of all she remembered the look on Ririko-sensei's face, smug triumph pure and simple burned into her memory and filled her body with what she reluctantly described as jealous rage. What made it worse was the fact that in the past five days the only times she seen the boy was during Ririko-sensei's math class. Even then the boy sat silently in his seat and stared at the board the entire time, never blinking and sitting perfectly still like a piece of statuary.

During classes Moka would try several times to catch his attention by sitting behind him and lightly poking and jabbing him with the eraser end of a pencil in his back but the boy showed no reaction. She never got a reaction out of Tsukune but she noticed an ever present self-satisfied smirk on Ririko-sensei's lips every time her attempts failed.

After class was over, everyone but Tsukune would leave. He would sit in his seat and wait. After the incident with the chalkboard it was rumored that Ririko-sensei managed to convince the rest of Tsukune's teachers to excuse him from their classes for two weeks, until the mid-semester math finals, and allow her to personally prepare him. Moka more than hated this but what really annoyed her was the fact that she was all alone with her frustration.

Kurumu was the only person who Moka believed would be just as outraged by what was happening with Tsukune and Ririko-sensei but still the girl acted like nothing more than an emotionless zombie; ignoring the both of them and refusing to make eye contact with Tsukune still. The girl was still shaken with her encounter with the creature possessing Tsukune and it was a good bet that she was not going to be helpful anytime soon. Moka was feeling helpless and she knew that if she did not do something soon then for all intensive purposes she would be admitting defeat to the older woman.

She had the will but had absolutely no idea of what she was going to do to get back his attentions. Part of her knew that the reasons behind her attempts to break Tsukune away from the buxom math teacher were because of jealousy but another part of her was actually concerned for his safety. Moka knew, or rather inferred, that it was because of the creature inside Tsukune's head that made it possible for him to perform such a feat but she was well aware that despite Tsukune's good natured spirit and kind heart he was nowhere near smart enough to even comprehend the mathematical significance of those equations. Well-aware was she of how fanatical Ririko-sensei was about math and she was afraid that it was only a matter of time before the blond woman found that Tsukune was not the genius that she believed him to be and Moka was afraid of what she might do to him. When faced with a beauty that only you could appreciate to find it false, it was a safe bet that a fanatical mind like their math teacher would not react lightly.

As of now all Moka could think about were ways of trying to get Tsukune out of Ririko-sensei's clutches, dodging whatever on coming student traffic there was. The ideas flowing through her head like water but, acting as a sieve, her mind filtered out the bad ones from the good. Out of the few that her mind deemed acceptable she mentally played them out and tried to find any flaws that they might contain…much to her dismay every single one of them did.

No matter how hard she wanted to deny it, the way Tsukune behaved these past five days was not only disturbing but indicated that he had forged some kind of loyalty to her, whether developed from fear or, god forbid, some deeper emotion, she was not yet sure. The mature blond had some kind of affection for the boy; that much was clear, because even when she left her classroom people could see Tsukune nipping at her heels like some kind of perverse pet. This was obviously not a bond that would be broken easily.

She did not have the time to feel sorry for herself because if nothing was done about the two of them Moka had a feeling that Tsukune would suffer greatly from her inaction. Getting out of mainstream of oncoming students Moka leaned up against the wall and gently placed her thumb and forefinger against her chin trying conceive and filter out ideas, hoping that one would be good enough to separate Tsukune from his captor, perhaps just long enough to find out what was going on between them and warn him.

"Damn it why today of all days?"

In a pure streak of luck Moka's ears picked up the distinctive voice of Kagome Ririko and much to her astonishment when she turned her head Moka could see the buxom math teacher and sure enough Tsukune faithfully standing next to her. They could not have been more than twenty feet away from where she stood. Moka could make out every detail about their current states. Ririko-sensei was clearly upset about whatever it was; nose wrinkled in aggravation, viridian eyes squinting and her pouty burgundy lips pursed so tight that they now resembled a rose bud.

Tsukune on the other hand had on a look that showed that he was not fazed by the teacher's little outburst. In fact it looked like nothing was fazing him; eyes drooped and mouth almost a perfect straight line Tsukune stood next to her. Moka observed the two of them with great interest and did her best to try and look inconspicuous while listening to what was said between the two, or rather what the older blond said to the near-catatonic boy.

"I have to go to a staff meeting. I'll be back in an hour."

When she turned both women locked eyes. Moka was startled that she was caught staring at her but was surprised in not finding shock or anger in the deep viridian eyes; she instead found indifference and an utter lack of interest. The woman was absolutely unthreatened by her. Whether out of spite or something else the woman turned back to Tsukune and placed her lips against Tsukune's ear, she could have been whispering something to him or sticking her tongue in it for all Moka knew but when she was done Tsukune nodded lightly and stood while Ririko-sensei walked away.

For a moment she believed that she was coming over to her, ready to throw some snide quip her way, but instead passed her without so much as a second look. The woman had no interest in her. The sound of heels clinking filled Moka with a jealous rage but when the woman turned the corner and out of sight the vampiress stuffed her emotions deep down without delay and rushed through the crowd straight for Tsukune.

Reaching her goal Moka grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to look the boy straight in the eyes but his own brown ones continued to stare down. Tsukune's normally warm brown eyes dulled and lifeless, his face at a loss for color, and his lips slowly moving up and down like he was silently reciting some kind of scripture. Knowing that he must be under some kind of trance, just Kurumu had done once before, but this one seemed more powerful. Unsure of what to do she grabbed both of his shoulders and tried to shake him out of whatever hypnotic spell the mature blond had over him but she only succeeded in cracking Tsukune's neck and tousling his hair.

Failing to shake him out of this trance she tried lightly tapping him on the cheek but that failed as well. Running out of options faster then she would have liked Moka decided to try verbal tactics instead. Reverting to calling out his name, announcing herself to him, whistling and even hissing at him, once or twice Moka even snapped her fingers at him in the vain hopes that the sudden noise would bring him out of it and back to her but alas it did not.

Moka did all she could think of and still the boy lifelessly stared at the ground with his lips wordlessly moving, reciting the same thing over and over like a chant or a mantra. There was nothing the girl thought of that she believed would wake the boy from this daze. Moka tightened the grip she had on his shoulders and did her best to hold back the tears that were building.

In the moments of deep sorrow that nearly overtook her Moka almost did not notice the fact that the pair of shoulders starting to move under her fingers. Her heart leapt in her chest with excitement but before she had the time to react. Her hands violently thrown from their perches and Tsukune's own hands grabbed her. Shock knocked her off her feet while the boy dragged her down the hall until they reached the nearest door in the hallway. One hand removed the tight grip it had on her and grabbed the doorknob, twisting it so hard that Moka thought that she could hear the metals crack, door thrown wide open Moka was viciously pushed inside.

She stumbled inside and stepped inside what she believed to be a metal bucket and when she reached out to steady herself her fingers brushed up against cheap plastic shelves crammed with cheap plastic bottles filled with various colored liquids. Her eyes adjusting she could see the inside of a small closet but before she could fully absorb the whole magnitude of the situation, Tsukune entered the room. His hand on the doorknob and closing it slowly behind him; he shut them both inside.

"_**We need to talk."**_

Chilled fingers fluttered down each vertebrate of her spine when her ears heard the vast cold voice that haunted both her and the rest of the newspaper club's nightmares for close to a week. She watched Tsukune lock the two of them inside with a quick flip of the locking mechanism and turned to face her.

Tension mounted while her intestines wriggled like live eels and her bowels turned to jelly. Tsukune turned to face her but she knew that what she was about to come face to face with was anything but the boy she knew. Her intuition was rewarded with the twisted grin and raging yellow lights. Moka backed up trying not to show fear of any kind but the clangor her bucket-covered foot made with each step rung out in the tiny broom closet. Eventually it came to the point where she flicked it off with a sudden and sharp kick, leaving a dent in the bucket and a hole in the wall.

Her sudden freak-out was met with a cold and callous laugh and she saw that the creature bent over, cackling maliciously at her. The thing's voice echoed ferociously throughout the tiny room, feeling like she was surrounded by a group of vicious cackling things that found pleasure in her fear and panic. For a moment she was worried that somebody might hear them and try to force themselves in but there was not even a knock at the closet door. The notion crossed her mind that nobody outside of the closet could hear the two of them.

Almost at once the cackling stopped, cut off by a near deafening silence. Disturbing as it was she found the fortitude to look the thing in the eyes as Tsukune's body returned from it's crouched over with hysterical laughter position to a full upright one. Within the darkness of the closet the lights that burned inside the boy's sockets cut through the darkness and landed on Moka with the twisted grin flashing her way.

"_**You need to relax my pink haired honey bunny I'm not here to hurt you, just to talk. Of course if you had other things in mind…"**_

It left the sentence hanging but made its intentions were quite clear by giving off a vulgar show of a flickering tongue and a predatory hiss. Moka stood her ground and put on a brave front, but the creature standing in front of her was not fooled by it. A single barking laugh, hard and blistering cold, proceeding to circle her with his neck and back arched, stepping on the balls of his feet, and arms swinging at his sides with fingers curled like claws. The thing was reminiscent of some prehistoric monster instead of the boy she cared for so dearly. It got close enough that she had start circling the room in order to keep a comfortable distance between them and keep a sense of security even, even a false one. They locked eyes with one another but even with her brave front Moka knew that the creature stalking ever closer was sizing her up and by the sounds of the cold chuckles it produced, clearly it was not impressed.

"_**Come now why bother hiding it? I know that you fear me, you might hide it, but your body clearly reeks of it. There is no shame in fearing me and it is smart that you are. But fear not! As hard as it might seem I am not nearly as free as you might think…"**_

Moka reached the closet door by this point and felt the doorknob brushed against the small of her back. Instinctively her hand flew to it without breaking the gaze she had with the creature possessing Tsukune, that crept closer and closer.

"_**My consciousness might have taken dominance but alas I am still tethered by the boy's subconscious desires which are much less flexible than his conscious ones. So if you are worried about your life don't be, I can't hurt you."**_

The creature reached her and cut off her only exit with a hand pressed against the closet door. She stared into the twisted face of the creature possessing Tsukune. Staring into those hellish eyes she had absolutely no doubts that what it said was true; her intuition told her that the creature wanted nothing more than to rip her apart or something much worse but was being held back by some tenuous thread. She was staring at a rabid dog that was restrained by an old rusty chain, ready to snap at a moments notice.

With a surprising amount of gentle tenderness the creature took Tsukune's other hand to her cheek and gently brushed against her cheek with soft fingertips. Shivering at the thing's very touch Moka experienced a sense of revulsion. Though it was Tsukune's hand that touched her Moka's body recognized that the creature behind the hand was unnatural and disgusting. With sudden speed the hand flew from her cheek and around her throat with teeth bared. It was clear how badly it wanted to tightened the grip it had around her throat but that sliver of Tsukune's will that held it back, the kindness that resided in the boy's heart and gentle soul was enough to stop the creature from doing what it wanted. This fundamental fact allowed Moka to glare at the creature with hard eyes even as it sneered and glared back at her with such hate.

"_**Make no mistake about this you bitch! If I had my way I would do with you as I see fit, gut you like a fish and leave your body to the buzzards! And then I'd move on to that whiny group of snot-nosed fuckers you call your friends and the rest of this school and so on and so forth."**_

Time passed with the both of them staring each other down in that broom closet; the creature baring his teeth and practically snarling at her while the pink-haired vampiress glaring into its burning yellow eyes with her own hard defiant stare. It was a battle of wills at this point and even while armed with the knowledge that this creature was eons older, wiser and could easily deliver on its promise she knew that because of Tsukune the creature was forced into compliance, filling her with a sense of great pride. Both glaring at the each other. it became painfully obvious that one of them needed to back down and because the creature was aware that Moka was aware of the fact that the boy would not let it hurt her under any circumstances it was the first to back down; retracting his snarling scowl and returning to the default twisted grin. The creature released the grip it had around her throat and dropped his other hand from the closet door.

Moka removed herself from the door and at the moment she backed away to allow the creature to unlock the door with a quick flick of the fingers. The pink-haired girl was silent but when the creature possessing Tsukune grabbed the doorknob of the closet door her mind considered the thought that she kept in mind but could not keep silent about it anymore.

"It's because of you! It's all your fault! Tsukune is in this situation with that horrible woman and it is because of you! The rest of our friends are so scared of him. You are the most despicable and revolting beast I've every met. Why are you doing this to Tsukune?!"

Her ears pumped with the deafening sounds of her heart beating and her chest heaved after such a long-winded accusation but her mind never felt more at peace. After a whole week she spoke her mind and told the creature that she had grown to despise in such a short amount of time exactly how she felt and never had she experienced such elation from such an out of character burst of anger. Most of all Moka believed that in some small way she defended Tsukune and perhaps, just perhaps, begun to redeem herself. Moka stared at the creature, waiting for some kind of reaction, but in a strange twist the creature did turn to Moka with a grin that threatened to split the boy's face in two and the yellow lights burned brighter than she had ever seen before.

"_**Thank you for those kind words, truly, I try so hard and it's nice to have your hard work appreciated. And as per your suspicions, yes I was responsible for the boy's little episode of genius but just some psychopathic math groupie's vag getting dripping wet because of my Gigantic. Throbbing. Intellect and now the boy is 'Suffering' those consequences does not my fault make. And as to why I did it, the boy asked for my help and gladly I helped because I personally find it embarrassing when children don't adhere to their racial stereotypes. Asian and doesn't know math, how disgraceful."**_

With that last racist insult the creature firmed the grasp he had on the doorknob and turned while Moka was still slightly reeling from the comment when instead of exiting the room the beast stopped himself and turned back to her with a look of sudden remembrance.

"_**Oh before I forget I came out to relay a message, because that's all I'm apparently fucking good for nowadays."**_

Moka listened intently to what the creature had to say now and it stared into her with that twisted grin.

"_**You're right about that math bitch and the boy is calling out your name day and night. That woman has him under a kind of trance or some kinda crap like that. It is powerful enough to subdue his conscious mind but unfortunately not enough to awaken his subconscious one. The only reason you see me know is because the boy is actually sleeping now, anyway what the punk wants from you is to stop the woman from doing whatever it is she's doing and 'save' him."**_

Moka nearly jumped for joy when the beast told her that Ririko-sensei was brainwashing Tsukune for real and that he was calling for her to save him. Under normal circumstances she would never have believed the creature in front of her but perhaps it was because she wanted to believe that Tsukune would not pick Ririko-sensei over her so badly that when she was offered the choice to believe that he wanted her to save him from the mature woman; she was going to take it no matter who was offering it. The closet door opened quickly and the creature exited the closet, stepping out into the hallway, leaving her alone inside the tiny closet.

Wasting no time in the closet she too opened the door and rushed outward into the hallway only collide with the back of Tsukune. Bouncing off his back and bouncing off the closet door Moka did her best to steady herself while waiting for the sudden barrage of soul crushing insults and empty threats but alas they never came. Instead Moka noticed that the beast did not even seem to notice that she bodily bashed into him and nearly toppled him over but just stood still, swaying lightly, saying nothing and doing nothing.

Cautious but still extremely curious about the creature's sudden one-eighty turn in personality, the girl slowly walked around him. Her jade eyes expressing the vigilant inquisitiveness that gripped the rest of her body while she doing what could be considered tiptoeing around the boy despite several passerby's staring at her with concern.

It did not take as long as she would have liked to reach the front of the boy but this time was pleasantly surprised when instead of a twisted smirk and burning yellow lights there was only those warm brown eyes and a blank expressionless face with his lips soundlessly reciting whatever that mantra was. Uninterrupted by the sudden personality switch.

With her heart falling to the pit of her stomach Moka stared at the boy who did not even seem to be aware of his surrounding let alone the people around him. It was horribly depressing seeing him in this condition and the fact that that horrible woman put him in this state, it was even worse for Moka; she always felt that there was something wrong with that woman but her own gentle nature inhibited her from actually saying anything bad about her. But now that she could see the damaged the woman was capable of first hand and the fact that she did it to the one person who she cared most about in this entire school, enraged her to the point where her body starting to shake with rage.

Moka could see from the corner of her eye the very person who filled her with this uncharacteristic anger walking down the hall heading for the both of them. The woman looked somewhat irked but her expression softened when the woman saw her with Tsukune. Deep down the woman must have been experiencing some sort of sick joy when she spied the two of them together. She must have known that Moka could not get a response out of him but clearly she was unaware of the beast that occupied the inner depths of his psyche.

The moment the woman spied the two of them her body language went from mildly annoyed for having to leave for an hour to relaxed and sexually confident over what she believed was her victory. Moka put on an angry and defeated face on the outside but on the inside she was beginning to form a plan. Turning to Tsukune with one last farewell glance, in a slightly overdramatic fashion, and shooting a venomous glance at Ririko-sensei, poisonous thoughts included, and trudged away in faux defeat.

Glumly slumping down the hall she disappeared into the crowd and turned the corner. However once she did Moka was hastily glued to the wall and peeked around the corner and scouted the both of them. She was not going to give up that easily. She hugged her body tightly against the wall and watched the both of them together; the older blond talking to him with as much affection as Moka believed that the woman possessed and Tsukune standing in that one spot. She stayed silent and ignored the many of the students that were looking her way.

It had taken a few minutes but eventually the woman laid her hand on the back of the boy and started guiding him down the hall. Moka knew that the woman was bringing Tsukune back to her classroom to continue whatever kind of horrible thing it was that forced him to use the monstrous entity to contact her. Knowing that if she did nothing to save him then the possibility of losing him was a sure thing. Once enough space was between them Moka turned the corner again and tailed them both, wading through the masses of what were faceless students to her with her features expressing the stern conviction that filled her spirit. She had a plan and as she trailed behind the two of them Moka had every intention of executing it.

* * *

(Math Classroom)

Moka stayed back far enough to make sure that there buxom math teacher remained unaware of her while at the same time making sure that they stayed in her sights. It did not take long for the mature woman and her younger companion to reach their destination and Moka was not far behind.

Silently the pink haired vampiress watched from afar the both of them entering her classroom but she did not move just yet. In her mind various scenarios were born from her wild imagination and could not help but wonder what the woman inside could be doing to him. Scenario after scenario built on top of her fragile mindset until baring it was no longer possible for her and she rushed for the classroom.

She thrust open the classroom door, ready to save the boy from the clutches of the older woman, but instead greeted with the sight that she was not anticipating; Moka was greeted with the sight of a empty room.

The poor girl's brain, still staggering from the damage her imagination caused her, could not handle the idea of an empty room. She saw them both entering clear as day. Her eyes frantically scuttled side to side trying to make sense of the emptiness that was the math classroom; the twenty or so desks all empty and collecting dust on their surfaces, the florescent lights up above flickering lightly and humming, a open metal cabinet tucked away in the corner, and finally the chalkboard that occupied the front of the classroom, wiped clean but the wall still had the evidence of Tsukune's intellectual outburst from near a week before. By all accounts the room was and had been deserted for hours and there was no evidence to support otherwise.

Under normal circumstances Moka would have left the room without a second thought but these were not normal circumstances and so she began to search the room with such vigor that it could almost be considered erratic. She ran to all four corner of the room fruitlessly searching the room; knocking over desks, checking inside the metal cabinet, even looking underneath the teacher's own desk but just as her eyes beheld before there was nobody nor evidence of somebody being inside the classroom.

Her mind was already in a fragile state but this was more then it could handle; the creature told her that Tsukune was calling for her, that Ririko-sensei was holding him against his will and doing god knows what to him. More and more Moka felt her mentality cracking from the combinations of the beast's words, the idea of Tsukune suffering at the hands of the buxom older woman, and her own jealousy. She saw them enter this room and she knew that they were in here but she could not see them! They were in this room and she knew! They were in this room! They were in this room! THEY WERE IN THIS ROOM!

Against the core that was her very nature Moka snapped! She began to hyperventilate, irises wide as saucers and her brain burning from confusion. The toll of the mental stress turned physical as fingers rammed themselves through her pink tresses and sweat beaded on her forehead, lips, and pits. Room spinning like a she was caught in the middle of a twister, the desks around her fell to the floor with the thunderous clangs of metal and wood hitting the linoleum-tiled floor, adding fuel to the bedlam that was now her mind. Disorientation was the only thing that Moka was aware of, the sound of desk after desk crashing to the floor was the only sound she knew, and the emptiness of the room haunted her thoughts. They were in this room. They were in this room but where!

In all of the turmoil that occupied her soul the notion of surroundings was the last thing on her mind and it should have been the only thing. In a moment she bodily struck the corner of the teacher's desk, knocking it and herself off center. At once her instincts overtook the self induced twister of panic and attempted to save herself but instead slammed her head against the chalkboard. Slumped against the wall just below the chalkboard the hit to her head was painful but the very thing that was required to bring her back to her senses, the overwhelming sense that overcame her lingered about, but it was no longer the only thing that she experienced.

Head throbbing and her throat tightening as bile threatened to force its way up, Moka lifted her hand, with great difficulty, and gingerly rubbed the side of her head with every intention of quelling the throbbing painful storm in her head. A painful hiss escaped her lips when her fingers touched the sore spot on the back of her skull but still the girl did her best to try and get some kind of relief. Hitting a tender spot the girl withdrew her hand at a lightening pace and by accident whipped the back of her knuckles against the blackboard.

Strangely enough the sound of her fingers hitting the blackboard did not make the usual noise or hurt nearly as much as it should. The sound was hollow and reverberated while the blackboard shook. This new revelation was enough of a distraction for her to ignore the pain on the back of her skull and with a renewed curiosity Moka gently rapped the back of her knuckles against the blackboard. It vibrated with each tap. The hollow sound and the blackboard shaking after every hit, the two events clicked together for her and Moka came to one inevitable conclusion; there must be a space behind the wall!

With this thought the girl rushed to her feet only to fight off a dizzy spell for a moment but afterwards felt a bit better and started to investigate that theory. With adventurous fingers the girl dropped to the floor and began to rummage along the bottom of the wall. Almost immediately Moka discovered what appeared to be the ridge of a sliding track that the entire wall rested on. The girl followed the track on her hands and knees and traced the track by eye. Crawling along the floor she ignored the ache in her knees or the dirt accumulating on her skirt, the track was the only thing that she cared about at the moment.

When she reached the edge of the track the pink haired vampiress almost knocked her head against the adjoining wall. Eyes sharp, she examined the corner of the room. At first the girl did not know what she was looking at but finally she realized what was wrong with the wall; there were dents and scratch marks running up its edge. Fumbling fingers made there way from the floor to the wall and scrambled upwards.

Slowly Moka rose to her knees, her fingers scratching and digging at the wall in order to find some kind of niche in the wall. She found her niche about five feet from the floor and immediately her finger pushed and dug as deeply as they could and when they could go no further Moka tugged on the wall and felt it slide away, revealing the hidden space that it concealed so well.

The girl was staring into a darkness that was hidden behind the sliding chalkboard and at once she knew that this was where Tsukune and Ririko-sensei disappeared to. But perhaps that was a obvious fact by now. Overwhelmed by the sense of discovery and the pitch-blackness of the room ahead of her, Moka was not sure what to do but her body did. At first they were tentative steps but quickly they grew bolder and she was swallowed up by the darkness. As soon as she was in far enough the sound of the wall sliding shut alerted her but it was too late for her to stop it; she was locked inside. Normally she would have been worried but not now, this time she wanted to save Tsukune.

It took awhile but her eyes eventually adjusted to the dimness of the room and found that it was not as dark her mind first made it out to be. A lone candle was found in the middle of the darkness, the light biting a path through the pitch-blackness, and gave a sense of direction to the pink haired vampiress and hopefully to Tsukune. Heading for the candle, Moka noticed more and more candles forming a boundary around her while simultaneously throwing dancing shadows against the walls that flew higher and higher until they merge with the infinite abyss above. The single candle that burned in the middle of the room soon reproduced into a throng of burning candles all beckoning her like will-o-wisps beckons a wandering soul to their doom.

Her route was straight for the multitude of candles but was hindered as a sharp and hideous pain shot up from her shin. A small cry did made passed her lips but that was drowned out by the sound of heavy wound scraping against a hard stone floor which was followed by a creepy clattering of multiple objects falling. Again under normal circumstances she would have investigated these mysterious objects but right now she did not care and did the best she could to step over these unknown objects and headed for the mass of burning candles.

The closer she came to the candles she could see the form of Aono Tsukune; hunched over a table surrounded by piles of skulls with half melted candles stuck on top of their craniums, adding to the already suffocating macabre atmosphere of the room. It was clear that the boy was still under the influence of whatever Ririkio-sensei had done to him. Completely ignoring her and unaware of his surroundings the boy was pouring over a particularly thick leather-bound textbook filled with mathematical symbols similar to the ones he covered the entire wall of the classroom a week before. The girl wanted nothing more then to scream at the boy and try to knock some sense into him but she knew that it would be ineffectual as the other tactics she tried on him before. Moka had spent all of her time trailing and searching for him, her thoughts consumed by the idea of Tsukune suffering by that woman's hands, that she possessed absolutely no notion of what to do to release him from this trance.

All she could do is stand behind the boy whose whole world revolved around the open textbook. That familiar overwhelming sense started to creep its way back into her gut and already she could feel her pulse quicken and fingers twitching. The encroaching darkness that was restrained by the candled skulls was the perfect symbolic image of the situation Moka foolishly rushed into but at that moment she should have been thinking about where Ririko-sensei was.

There was sudden but prickling sensation came over her. The flesh on the back of her neck broke out in goose bumps and a chill blew from nowhere warning her of some unknown danger. At first unaware of the imminent danger or where it was coming from, but the reason made itself known when her ears picked up the slightest of noises; a slithering from deep within the darkness.

"It looks like we have an unexpected guest, my dear Aono Tsukune-kun."

Like magic, Tsukune turned from his book and sluggishly spun in his seat with as much enthusiasm as a rotting log and stared forward, directly into the darkness that dwelled inside the room with them. Out of the darkness emerged the face and torso of Ririko-sensei, clad in the leather corset that made her breasts pout and that superior smirk displayed for Moka's own miserable pleasure.

Only her head and torso was exposed in the candle light casting shadows over her face and the candlelight dancing on the surface of her glasses while the rest of her entirety was swathed in the inky blackness of the room. Her smile widened when her eyes found Moka.

"My, my, my…it is the sweaty girl no less."

Ririko gave a feminine chuckle as she receded back into the darkness. The slithering noise that put goose bumps on her flesh echoed throughout the room, seemingly everywhere, her eyes strained in the dark trying to find where the older woman disappeared to became unnecessary because the feeling of delicate feminine fingers dancing down her spine startled her so badly that she leapt from Tsukune's side.

Spinning around Moka saw that somehow the woman appeared at the near-catatonic boy's side; arms draped over his shoulders, his head resting against the valley of her bosom, gently stroking his hair like a mother would her babe, and yet only her waist and everything above it was visible by the candlelight while the rest still blanketed by the darkness.

"Look at her my dear Aono Tsukune-kun…"

She spoke in such a sweet and feminine manner that even Moka, who knew that underhanded tricks and conniving was this woman's nature, felt a deep seated begrudging respect for any woman who could pull off such a tone of voice. Disgusted with that woman and how she draped herself around the boy like he was some sort of toy that she played with as she saw fit.

"…trying to take you away from me, trying to destroy what we are creating together…"

Tearing her loving gaze away from the boy she cradled against her bountiful chest, Kagome Ririko stared at her with viridian eyes. Moka could see that an evil something dwelling deeply in those green pools, the reflecting candlelight dancing freely, and clearly something inside this woman's head snapped.

"We need to stop her at any cost!"

A booming rush and the sound of scraping wood filled the tiny room and before she realized it Moka ducked out of the way of a giant wooden projectile. Hard woods crashing into one another nearly deafened the poor girl and her entire frame was showered and assaulted by splinters large and small. Her body's naturally quick reflexes saved her from any grievous injuries but not from all harm. The hard stone floor in combination with gravity and her thrown body weight nearly split her knees open and scuffed the palms of her hands bloody. Her skirt was lightly ripped up the side but that did not stop her from rolling on her back to inspect the twisted heap of wood.

How it was thrown or even what the hell was thrown at her, it was impossible to tell, but nowhere in the heap of grimy wooden planks were Tsukune or Ririko-sensei. The piles of skulls that once occupied the table's surface were either crushed to a waxy powder or rolled into the sordid corners of the room, alleviating it of the dreary dark spell somewhat but what was revealed to lie in the darkness was so horrible that Moka wished that all skulls were crushed to waxy powder.

Coiled around themselves were yards of scales. Her eyes trailed coils as thick as steel pipes all over the room. The body would have gone on forever if it were not for tail rising from the endless coils the tip adorned with a strange flower-like appendage; fully blossomed the pink meaty petals glistened with pale mucous coating, tiny black hooks sprouting from the petals insides, a puckered rosebud laying dead center of the flower suckling the air and occasionally sputtering that very same pale mucous that slathered the petals, and two thin whip-like tendrils protruding from the puckered center and flailed about. Tendrils whipped and snapped the air. Flaming skulls rested themselves against the contours and crevices of the gigantic snake body that slithered and crawled in the shadows.

That annoyingly feminine chuckle pulled Moka out of her terror induced stupor and for the first time she saw Ririko-sensei in her truest form; still clad in that leather corset, gloves, and holding a black leather whip in her left hand, her right arm wrapped around Tsukune but below her waist Moka could see that in place of her long shapely legs a thick waist of scales had taken their place. Undulating and slithering the woman had a grin, a cobra's smile, glaring down at her with predatory eyes of no longer deep viridian but shocking yellow.

"LET HIM GO YOU BITCH!"

Baring fangs and screeching at the older woman Moka rushed from her knees to her feet, despite the pain, she charged at Ririko at full speed, preparing to shoulder ram her teacher aiming for her perfectly taunt stomach. The tunnel vision settled in Moka, keeping her unaware of Ririko's movements such as dropping the boy to the ground and tightening the black virgin-leather handle of her whip.

A crack of the whip snapped across Moka's cheek and brought her to her knees again. Falling to her stomach, her cheek reddening and fingers becoming slick with blood, the time-delayed sting of the whip hit. Her cheek was nearly cleaved to the bone but a tear did not fall from her eye.

It was not out of strength or pride that she held back her tears but anger and feminine rage that prevented them from falling and Ririko sensed it. The older woman watched the younger girl before her struggling, but succeeding, to her feet and did not like the fact that this child would not submit to her like others before.

Ririko slinked towards the young lady with her new body. The snake-woman slithered over Tsukune like he was nothing to her when just hours ago this boy seemed to be the only thing that she cared for in this world. His body rolled with her coils like a dead log until he was eventually pushed out from under her and laid on the floor, face staring directly into the darkness up above and still silently repeating whatever mathematical mantra he had been repeating for the past five days.

Moka managed to get to her feet but not before the older woman closed the gap. She was close enough for a quick back fist with her free hand and sent the vampiress back to the ground. Blood was left on the woman's leather glove, blood from the gash on Moka's cheek, blood from the wound she had given her. Finally succumbing to the fatigue that five sleepless nights had put on her body, even the pain in her cheek with the combination blood loss from such a deep wound it had become difficult for her to rise again but soon that was not the issue.

The slithering of the woman's immense body grew louder and before Moka knew what was going on the meaty mucous-encrusted flower tip descended from the darkness up above. She moved with lightning-fast reflexes despite her fatigue and bodily weakness and caught the flower with her bare hands before being consumed by it. Strength oozed from her body, bloodied hands cramping and arms trembling. The thin tendrils stretched from the puckered center whipped about the air, lashing at whatever part of her body they could reach; hands, cheeks, face, and arms. The pale meaty-pink flower sputtered that pale mucous from its center and sprayed Moka with this foul liquid.

Fighting off this monstrous appendage with her bare hands her ears were assaulted by the constant cracking of the whip. It left cuts in the stone after every hit. Deep gashes in the stone and shards spraying in her face Moka tried to kick her way out from under Ririko but her feet hit nothing but air. Ririko's snaky body may have been ugly and disturbing to look at but its sheer size and length was advantageous, she was able to stay far enough from Moka to avoid any and all of her attacks while still able to attack Moka herself.

Moka fought with all of the strength she had left but she was fading fast and the flowery appendage inched ever closer. Muscles groaned and popped under the strain she knew that there was no way out unless somebody came to her rescue but alas nobody knew that she was here. Kurumu and Yukari were rarely seen and even if someone were to enter the classroom they would never find the room; it was possible that the only people who were aware of the room behind the chalkboard were all inside.  
In a last ditch effort Moka turned her head to the side, her wound laying against the cold stone floor, and stared at the only other person in the room that had any chance of saving her. Tsukune laid still on his back, staring emptily into the dancing shadows that clung to the ceiling and repeating the silent mathematical mantra.

A lash from one of the tendrils opened a fresh wound across her shoulder. She tried to cry out from the pain but that momentary distraction was enough to allow the appendage to inch even closer. Mucous from the flower coated her and the tendrils lashed at her bare flesh but still she screamed for Tsukune.

She yelled, she screamed, she wailed for the boy. She cried out his name over the sounds of the cracking whip and the sputtering organ but she continued to shriek for the boy. Ririko listened to the poor girl calling for Tsukune over and over, even as her mouth filled with pale, foul smelling goo. The girl screamed and gargled for him but the boy still laid on his back unaware of his surroundings. Cruelly enjoying all of their suffering Ririko raised her free hand to her mouth and chuckled softly into the back of her black leather glove.

"Oh you poor little empty-headed fool you can't simply yell out his name and have him come running to your side like before. He now belongs to me-"

The whip cracked once again and the poor girl continued to scream for Tsukune.

"Mind, body…and soon soul."

The woman's laughter was louder than any whip crack Moka ever heard and more disgusting than any mucous sputtering organ. The woman told her that he belonged to her mind, body, and soon soul but she knew that could not be true! Tsukune called out to her using the beast inside his head, he called for help. He was not hers. He was not hers. He was not hers!

"TSUKUNEEE!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU LITTLE WHORE!"

Ririko shoved her tail on the girl with all the strength the woman had and Moka did what little she could to resist. Tearing her eyes away from Tsukune's body and staring directly into the pink flowery organ on top of her; the thousands of tiny black hooks glistening in the light of the scattered candlelight, exuding a pungent rotted fish smell, and finally a ring of muscles located in the dead center suckling air in excitedly and spewing out flecks of mucous.

The disgusting thing inched closer to her even though every ounce of strength was used to defend against it. It was so close that the organ's meaty petals were beginning to fold themselves in preparation of enclosing her head. The whipping tendrils enwrapped her throat and pulled her in towards the grotesque flower. She fought and she prayed, silently prayed that somehow her final cry had reached Tsukune in some capacity and if he could not save her…he would at least know that she tried to save him.

The flower's pungent scent was overwhelming and the tendrils tightening around her throat cutting off her air but never did she falter. This grotesque organ was so close that she could feel the tiny hooks that grew from the petals grazed her skin, ready to hook themselves in…but it never happened. The flower was just close enough to touch her but it not able to engulf her.

"WHA-HOW?!"

Ririko's shrieks were surprising but what truly took her breath away, besides the tendrils tightening around her throat, were five fingers locked securely around the base of the flowery appendage. Standing between Ririko and Moka was Aono Tsukune, tall and proud, the candle light shadows playfully dancing across his face and chest and the scaled flesh of Ririko's tail being squeezed through the spaces of his fingers. Ririko shrieked, whether from shock or pain was unclear, screaming at the top of her lungs at the boy who somehow defied her and it was clear that she did not like it one bit.

But what Ririko took as a sign of defiance Moka knew was a sign of an arrival. His face was obscured by the dancing shadows and the little details were hidden behind a veil of darkness but what Moka did see froze her blood; a pair of glowing orbs that burned through the darkness.

"_**We meet again and so soon? You must really like me my pink haired honey bunny."**_

The beast spoke softly with hubristic undertones. It was horribly amazing how the soft spoken voice cut through the hysterical screams of Ririko or the gasping gargles of Moka's and silenced the both of them. Ironically the silence was almost as deafening as the shrieking, the only sounds were the dripping candle wax and the beast's vice-like grip tightening around the flowery appendage. The cold loftiness of his voice cut off their voices with ease and demanded every bit of their attentions. With a quick flash movement with his other hand the beast took Tsukune's pointer finger and twirled it gently around one of the tendrils that threatened to choke the life out of the poor girl and on impulse they released the death grip they had on her and latched themselves around his free arm.

Once released Moka could feel the rush of air that she was gasping for shoving itself down her throat with brute force and relieving her aching lungs. The creature watched her on the floor coughing and gasping while his trapped arm turned purple but it did not seem to care. That twisted smile glowed in the dark just like those burning eyes and they burned even brighter when it turned to face the hysterical Ririko.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU BELONG TO ME AN-"

"Shut your fucking mouth you leather wearing cunt."

The woman was absolutely livid and stunned speechless by not only the fact that the boy was no longer submitting to her will like the obedient slave she turned him into but the very language that he used to defy her offended her so deeply as a woman that she let loose a ugly howl of rage and pulled back her whip with a violent jerk. The tendrils that wrapped themselves so tightly around his arm moved to his neck but instead of gasping for breath like Moka before, the beast possessing Tsukune kept smiling even as these tendrils tightened around the boy's throat

Ririko swung her whip with more ferocity than any other lash she ever delivered and intended to cleave the very skin off of the boy's bones but what the beast did displayed a level of skill that shook both the sadistic math teacher and the gasping girl to their very cores.

The lash from the whip came close to its intended target, so close that Moka flinched, but instead of cleaving like Ririko wanted the beast used Tsukune's recently freed arm as a shield, allowing the whip to coil securely from elbow to wrist. Unharmed, or at least that's how it looked, with a fluid jerk of his arm the black virgin-leather handle flew from the woman's sure grip and right into the beast's own. It did not seem to care about the fact that it had disarmed the woman with such ease, that Cheshire smile would have fooled those of lesser instinct but the tone that which it used left no room for error because when it told her.

"_**I am nobody's bitch."**_

That was a statement that neither of the women questioned, but it was clear that Ririko wanted to deny that fact. What this woman wanted more than anything was for this boy to return to the submissive zombie that she turned him into but was smart enough to know that believing that what was standing before her would submit to her will was a fool's dream. The tendrils tightened the grip they had on his neck but even as his skin turned blue that smile never went away. That smile…that smile was the single most terrifying thing that ever came across her path and it haunted her. She wanted it to go away.

The hysterical snake-woman violently thrashed her body about hoping to pull her tail out from the creature's vice-like grip but he held onto her. The beast and the sadist stared at one another's yellow eyes; one set of terrified cat's eyes and the others a pair of blazing globes that no sane person would ever believe to be eyes, locked in a power struggle with each other and it was clear as day to see who was losing.

She thrashed herself wildly, reckless of any self-inflicted damage she might have caused; crashing into what very little furniture that occupied the room, smashing the grimy wooden planks to splinters and wood dust, smashing the ceiling with the thicker parts of her body, each hit shook the skulls on the walls filling the room with the sounds of thrashing scales and clattering skulls most of which were reduced to that powdery waxy dust. It was dangerous and even Moka rolled into an out of the way corner of the room but the creatures did nothing but keep his grip on the meaty flower organ with his death grip and kept that twisted smile on as he was lifted into the air and slammed into the ground. Ririko screamed and thrashed about the room while Tsukune's body held on even as he was thrown bodily against the walls.

At this pace it did not take long for her to succumb to fatigue and the pain she inflicted on herself. Ririko fell to the ground with waves of sweat rolling off the top half of her body and her chest heaving but the creature possessing Tsukune looked unaffected by this whole ordeal and still held a tight grip on her tail. His face was that awful bluish hue, but he held on to the flowery appendage. With slow deliberation the creature moved on his own; starting with the hand that held the suckling, sputtering flower.

Thin tendrils squirmed and hooks glistened as the organ automatically sensed it was nearing a face. Twisted grin ever present the creature held the twitching organ just out of reach and seemed like he was waiting for Ririko to regain some energy, like this was just a big theatrical show all for their benefit. The woman managed to push herself to her elbows amazed that her target was intentionally putting itself in harm's way even after her defeat.

Believe it or not the creature possessing Tsukune threw the leather-bound sadist and the now fully recovered, but still floor bound, pink haired vampiress a cheeky little wink and released the sure grip he had on the flowery appendage and let his face be engulfed. Met with no resistance the flowery appendage took down its prey with such ferocity that it was enough to knock the creature off his feet and slammed him to the ground.

Moka's throat clenched at the sight of the thing overcoming the boy's face and the horrible squelching noises it produced as it pressed forward to fully his entire head. Moka watched in silent terror as the thing fastened itself to his head; the woman's tail writhed but this time was different, sounds of light moaning, and a look of pure ecstasy gracing the now placid features of the leathered woman. Her pouty lips parted slightly and glistened in the candlelight while her eyes fought between the predatory yellow cat's eye and their original deep viridian greens, throaty moans bounced off the walls and leisurely hands exploring her toned body in such a way that it could be called carnal.

As active as Ririko was the body of Tsukune was just as inactive; the flower suckled and squelched on its prey on the floor unmoving. A troubling sense over came Moka when she saw how motionless he was when out from the corner of her eye she noticed that he was not nearly as inactive as she first believed; his pointer finger twitched rhythmically, tapping against the stone at a slow steady pace, almost as if he was bored and waiting for something big and spectacular to happen.

"UUUHHH…OHH YESSS…I CAN FEEL IT AONO TSUKUNE-KUN…YOUR MIIINNDDD'S SO WONNNDEERRFUUUL!"

Leathered fingers hooked on her burgundy lips and continuously moaned in rapture while her flowery-tipped tail suckled on his face…and yet all Moka could hear was that tapping finger. Fixated on that tapping, tapping, tapping.

What Moka did not notice at first but when she did she was queerly perturbed by the fact that Ririko stopped moaning. She became eerily quiet and every muscle in her body seized. She had the look of someone on cloud nine a minute ago to an expression of agitated confusion and distress. The tapping finger sped up at a furious pace.

Ririko squirmed in agony and screamed, screams that did not bounce off the walls gently but boomed like cannon fire. These screams were none like any that the pink haired vampiress had heard this woman, or any other, produce. She did not understand what was happening, the only thing she felt that she could do was hide in her corner and try to block out the horrible shrieks.

The leather clad woman became violently hectic; her crimson fingernails clawing her flawless skin bloody, eyes widened in panic, and mouth foaming and those horrible shrieks flowing. With the room resonating with the sounds of her suffering intensified the fearful feeling festering in the poor girl's gut, she took solace in the small fact that she still had power in one small aspect of this horrible situation; she could cover her ears and try to muffle the screams.

Thrashing and shrieking bloody murder Moka watched helplessly as she tried to release the grip her flowery appendage had on Tsukune's head but it was useless. No matter how hard she tried to release it, this particular prey was not letting go. His body dragged across the floor, refusing to be liberated from the flower's grip, skipping across the stone and dirty bits of splintered wood. He tossed and tumbled along the floor like a rag doll but never did Moka believe that he was the victim, not anymore.

Soon it came to the point when Ririko threw the back of her head against the concrete walls of the room that was once her sanctuary now turned prison in the futile attempt to unlatch herself from the thing that was causing her such unimaginable suffering. With a powerful jerk, the body was forced onto both of his feet and stood, unmoving and absolute, while the leathered snake-woman persistently beat herself against the walls. Cracking stone walls and clattering skulls aglow were the only other sounds besides these horrid shrieks of anguish; Ririko bashed her head against the wall, the body of Tsukune still as a statue all the while the flower suckled, and Moka in the far flung corner of the room cradling the sides of her head in an effort to block out the screams but her eyes…her eyes would not dare tear themselves away from this sight.

This one sided fight went on, for how long none knew, but it ended with the strangest of results. Even from so far away Moka could make out every wretched detail; Ririko stopped with the infernal shrieking, it did not peter out like one whose voice left from exhaustion, Moka would have preferred that very much, but choked off as if iron fingers closed around her throat and squeezed, her viridian eyes rolled back to expose only their veiny whites, jaw locked open with burgundy lips curled over bleached pearly-whites. Her once beautiful face which enraptured the imagination of every male student now riddled with self-inflicted claw marks each dripping droplets of ruby red liquid life.

It appeared that every muscle in her body had seized again; back arched and tail looped and knotted into itself, her head resting against the cracked stone slithering down the wall at an agonizingly sluggish pace until she hit the floor with a nasty sound that could only be described as a cross between a hard thud and soft plop.

As her head hit the ground so did the rest of her. The sounds of her enormous scaled body falling to the ground were in some strange way soothing. Rolling like a wave and crashing to floor in a similar fashion the stone floor shook as coil after coil hit the ground and the air thickened with the waxy dust of pulverized skulls. Again Moka could not be sure but a feeling told her that, even after everything that she went through, the woman was still alive but in what state she could not fathom nor want to begin to imagine.

No more did the sounds of feverish screams bounce from the walls or even the squelching suckling of the flower. Tsukune stood still during this whole ordeal with a patience that could be considered unnatural but that patience was rewarded. When the suckling stopped the sound was quickly replaced with one sloppy sluggish noise, the sound that something disgustingly slimy made when forcibly removed from its perch. Moka watched silently as the flower released the grip it had on him. Slowly dripping down, leaving a thick trail of mucous in his hair and what visible parts of his forehead, the flowery appendage fell to the ground with a loud and nasty plop. Ejecting whatever mucous might have been left inside the organ in one last muscle spasm, discharging a stream several feet long and wide across the floor.

It was a difficult thing to do but the poor girl managed to pull her eyes away from the catatonic woman. Her eyes trailed across the floor, starting from her head and following all the way down to her tail, stopping at Tsukune's feet. Thick drips of mucous fell to the ground and leaving thick wet trails down his pants. His school jacket was drenched with this horrible slime all the way to his undershirt and the further up she went the thicker the slime. His face, she watched dribbles of thick noxious slime stringing off his chin and cheeks, falling to his shoes.

Despite the fact that the entirety of the boy's face was pierced by thorny pink petals moments before it was utterly unblemished by the brutal assault; where there should have been marks from the thousands of tiny black hooks there were none, bruises around his neck were absent, no signs of cyanosis. Everything was normal with the exception of his eyes. Still they smoldered with that unholy yellow fire, burning through the thick that clung to him. The creature stood covered from head to toe unaffected by the smell or texture of the slime.

Moka did her best to try and rise from the ground but these images flashed before her eyes. She was trying to make sense of what happened but the problem was that no matter what, she could not make sense of it, the creature itself and everything that it did defied sensible explanation. That scared her more than its strength, its cruelty, or its powers. Its motives were shrouded in mystery and she hated that more than anything.

Moving with that sense of indifference the creature moved his hands and wiped the thick from his face, more out of obligation than comfort. The mucous clung between his fingers but it was nothing that a single powerful flick could not solve and with that powerful flick the slime splattered across the floor with a thick wet slap. His face glistened in what little candlelight that was left in the room but the majority of the slime was gone.

The twisted smile was gone and replaced with a grimace aimed for the unconscious woman on the floor, staring at her like she was some sort of disappointment that he pitied, not saying a word and silently judging her as he stood over her. It did not take long until the creature had it's fill with her and held a look that it could no longer stomach the sight of her.

Whether the girl wanted to cower away or not, it no longer mattered because the creature was on her before she even knew what was happening. He stood over her too with that grimace and ever burning eyes. He offered her his hand in a shocking turn of events, thrusting it towards her, but she did not flinch nor cringe away but took it, not daring to show fear, and the creature pulled her from the ground with a swift pull. Immediately it released the tight grip it had around hers.

She kept her balance the best she could while the beast turned his back to her and continued to observe his handiwork with that sour look. Moka observed all that she could handle but the creature had his arms crossed across Tsukune's chest and for the first time since appearing it spoke, not in the usual bombastic timbre but one of pity.

"_**Fool…a true and utter fuckin' fool. I gave her what she wanted more than all else and yet did not truly understand what it was she dreamt of."**_

Tearing away from the sight of the woman Moka turned to the creature. Uncertainly she asked what it had done to her and she could almost swear that for the first time she saw a smile that did not hold a single note of condescension or twisted sadism but rather it was brimming with self-pride.

"_**True knowledge my dear. What this woman wanted more than anything else was to obtain a true understanding of the inner workings of time-space and reality…and what she saw was not to her liking I guess."**_

Moka stared at the former beauty that was her math teacher and quietly listened to the soft gurgling that she produced. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and softly bled from her self-inflicted wounds, being the caring and compassionate girl that she was, Moka could not help but feel sympathy for her. She was concerned at the idea of her teacher staying in such a horrible state of mind.

"Is it permanent?"

As if on cue the creature let loose a harsh barking laugh which crashed and bounced off the walls only to hit her over and over again with a vengeance.

"_**What do you care? I thought you hated this bitch or anyone else who threatens to take away 'your' precious little boy-toy?"**_

"I-I just…wanted to know…if it…"

"_**Very few minds can handle what I exposed that woman to, none of them mortal, so there are really only two guesses I can make; one her mind has burnt out completely and she will remain a vegetable for the rest of her natural life or her mind simply overloaded and is now, in essence, going to reboot itself like a computer and her memory of what happened to her or of any events that transpired within the past week. It's a coin flip really."**_

Those words did not reassure her but at the same time it did not make her feel any worse. There was a chance that this woman would make a recovery and a chance that she would not, with everything that this woman did to her and Tsukune but with her compassionate nature the pink haired vampiress did not know how to feel. The creature standing next to her did not seem to share the same moral dilemma as her but its mind did seem preoccupied with something.

"_**How much longer am I gonna have to do this shit?"**_

Whispered but not unheard by her, she wanted to ask what it was talking about but never got the chance. Those fiery yellow lights extinguished themselves out of existence and without warning he fell to the ground in a lump of tired flesh. She fell to her knees and grabbed him by the shoulders, softly calling out his name in a hurried tone.

His breath was ragged but stable so she was not worried but still she wanted him to open his eyes and stare up at her with soft chocolaty eyes. Lightly slapping his cheek and still whispering his name in hopes that he would open his closed eyes and smile at her, showing her that everything was going to be all right.

Tsukune did open his eyes and stared up at her, like she wanted, but not everything happened as she imagined. He did not smile nor did he do anything that could be considered close to a smile. Instead his mouth formed a frown and his chocolaty eyes glimmered with uncertainty, eyes darting back and forth across the barely lit room. He spoke with a quiver and showed how scared and confused he was.

"W-What happened?"

For a split second she tore away from his gaze and stared at the woman laying on the floor, unmoving and silent, a mere three yards away from where they sat. Ririko's snake-like body entwined itself around the entire room but she did not make a single noise, save for the gurgling, her face illuminated by the light of a nearby skull. The woman's face was riddled with shallow claw marks but the terror of what she went through…the fear was still present. Moka was at a morale crossroads; what happened to Ririko was horrendous but on the other hand Tsukune had the right to know what had happened, what he did to the woman, and it was up to her to tell him the truth.

"I saved you Tsukune, that's what happened."

* * *

Sorry that this took so long, so as compensation I've doubled the chapter. I've decided to put this story a bit on the back-burner. I'm starting college and working, also I've started to write one of the many book ideas but I'm still going to write this story so don'y worry. Edited by Scott Pike.

"In Tobi We Trust"


	12. Flowers in Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario+Vampire

"_Pride is the mask of one's own faults"_

_Jewish proverb_

Flowers in Blood

Once again Kurumu sat in her overly feminine room and the tiny witch Yukari was by her side. The bright pink walls were almost caustic to the sight and stuffed animals stared at the two girls with dead black eyes. The air had a peculiar smell to it, almost flowery, but none of these details had changed from a week before, what had change were the circumstances.

A week ago Kurumu had locked herself away from the world, sobbing for the boy who she loved and about the brief but terrifying encounter she had with the beast that lived inside his head, letting only Yukari in so that she may try and comfort her. Today they both sat on her bed in silence, watching the world of Youkai Academy pass by her window. Each of them equally traumatized by the first meeting they had with the beast a week ago. Yukari reeling from the fact that for most of her life she had been the smartest person in the room but with a single word she was twisted and manipulated into thinking dark, horrible thoughts by a thing more devious and much more intelligent than herself. Kurumu on the other hand was contemplating on darker things.

Neither one of them had the conviction to talk to Tsukune since that day; as a matter of fact the only person who would talk to him was Moka. They were trying to recover from the horrible psychological damage that the thing caused them in such a brief period of time. The idea of talking to Tsukune with the knowledge of that thing being near them was enough to crush any courage that they might have mustered. It was hard for either of them to admit, whether out loud or to themselves; the creature shook them to their very cores.

In a sick way the creature's powers were impressive to say the least; it twisted them in such a way that for a week they were reduced to shadows of their former selves and still after a week all they found that they could do was stare at the world through a window in a tiny feminine room. Quiet as the grave, for how long neither one of them knew, but as usual Yukari was the first to break the silence.

"I don't understand…how could it possibly do that to me? I'm smarter than that but it tricked me so easily."

The sound of her own voice was enough to pull her away from the scenery that lay beyond the tiny window and turned to Kurumu with a dumbfounded look in her eyes. Not noticing what the tiny witch said she continued to stare out the window with an expressionless face while her mind festered on darker thoughts. The witch could not understand how the creature was able to do what it did to them, or even what it was to begin with, but it was the girl's silence that concerned her enough to shove that thought away and asked the one question that the succubus wanted to hear since the first encounter with the creature.

"Kurumu are you ok?"

The succubus turned from the window and gazed at the witch with dull eyes and a face that was as expressionless as a mannequin's. Her pink lips quivered lightly as her eyes gaze went off somewhere else. Kurumu responded to her question with nothing but a soft whisper. Her breath so soft that Yukari missed it the first time so she had to ask the question again and really listen to her answer.

"Do you think that's what he really thinks of me?"

The witch was confused by her question but she did not have time to ask for any clarification. Kurumu looked down at the girl with tears now forming in her eyes and the beginnings of a quivering lower lip as she sniffled and fought back any sobs that wanted to break through.

"I don't know what I'd do if that's what he really thinks of me…it hurts so much Yukari-chan and…"

She did not, could not, finish that sentence as she was overtaken by all the emotions that she dammed-up for the last week finally broke free. She was violently overtaken by waves of; grief, fear, panic, and hurt. It was almost too painful for Yukari to watch. For a week she stayed in this room and listened to the wailings of the succubus and not once did she actually acknowledge her pain or even what she said, in all honesty she just ignored her and granted the girl the illusion of a pair of ears and a shoulder to cry on. What the girl was going through now was nothing like before.

Kurumu's body quaked with every sob and she trembled as her face shook in anger. Choking back sobs while thin strings of spittle flowing from her nose and mouth, Yukari did her best to stand the sounds the girl made and the sight of her face turning red. Wretched sobbing and scrunching her body into a tight ball on her bedside, Kurumu fell into a deeper sense of despair with each passing second and Yukari had not the slightest clue of what to do.

At first the only idea that came to mind was to wait out the sobbing then try to comfort her. That idea however went out the window because, while her sobbing did stop, it was immediately replaced with extremely unappetizing choking nasally snorts. The tiny witch's fingers stretched outward and hovered inches above her, she wanted to pat her on the back and spare some comforting words for her but she had none for her. She had none for herself.

Retracting her hand Yukari folded her hands onto her lap and watched with guilty eyes as the succubus wheezed and sobbed. Her face was obscured by her silken sheets but Yukari already knew that her eyes were bloodshot. The tiny witch wanted to think up something quick, something that would not only calm Kurumu down but also herself. It was at the precise moment that Kurumu performed a particularly nasty snort did the cogs in the witch's head finally turn and before she knew what she was doing her hand reached out to the blue-haired girl and grabbed her attention with such vigor that it scared the both of them. Kurumu looked up from her crying perch, showing off those bloodshot eyes.

"Do you really believe that it was Tsukune-kun calling you that?"

Yukari had no idea where this idea was going to take her at first, but what she said had accomplished what she wanted: it stopped Kurumu from crying. Now she needed to keep the momentum going, for both their sakes.

"Do you really believe that Tsukune-kun; the boy who've we've known for how many months? The boy who even after you 'Charmed' and I tortured still saved us from ourselves, even losing an arm in the process, Tsukune, who as far as we know, has never said a truly unkind word to anyone ever? Do you really believe for one second that Tsukune would say, let alone think those things about us?"

The both of them were silent after Yukari's little speech, neither one of them knew what to do next. Kurumu thought hard on what Yukari told her while the witch tried to remember what exactly she had said. The both of them were silent for several minutes, willingly allowing the silence of the room to engulf the both of them. It took awhile; but Yukari was shocked out of her stupor by Kurumu, looking up at the tiny witch from the comfort of her bed.

"You're right Yukari-chan. That wasn't…no, that couldn't of been Tsukune-kun. That was that thing!"

She rose from the bed in a hurry; hands reaching out to grab the tiny girl by the shoulders, gazing into her eyes with wide lavender eyes and a frantic half frown and half gawk. At first taken by surprise Yukari choked on any words that she might have said. It did not take long for her to get over the initial shock, but instead of berating her Yukari held herself with bated breath, seeing full well that the girl had something on her mind.

"I can't even begin to imagine what kind of things that horrible thing has been doing to him! If that thing could do that us in 15 minutes what kind of horrible things has it done to Tsukune?!"

That particular thought had not crossed the little witch's mind but now that it was mentioned she had to wonder. Thinking back she thought about all of the weirdness that was what she believed to be Tsukune's everyday behavior; the constant tired look in his eyes, the muttering and sometimes random outbursts, the constant jitteriness that comes from anxiety and stress, all of these things she thought was either his natural self or a human getting used to a school exclusively for monsters. Now with the knowledge of knowing what lurked inside his head things were a bit clearer, however the idea of what it was doing to him escaped her imagination…and she was more than grateful for that.

Overcome with a sudden sense of urgency Kurumu arose from the bed and turned to face the tiny witch with a renewed sense of determination burning in her lavender eyes. Yukari did not understand what was going through the succubus's mind but she did not have to worry about that for very long. She grabbed the tiny witch by the shoulders and glared at her with a wild look in her eyes.

"We got to help him! That thing was the mask and if we take it off we would save him! Come on!"

She turned her back on the tiny witch and began to rush for the door, but Yukari held onto her hand tightly and kept her back. Kurumu was pulled back and immediately turned her gaze back to the tiny witch, showing the hurt and confusion that she felt at that very moment. It twisted the poor witch's heart to see Kurumu flash those kind of eyes at her but what she had to say was worth it.

"Kurumu-chan I don't think there is anything that we can do."

Kurumu wanted nothing more than to speak her mind, but Yukari did not allow her the time. Letting go of Kurumu's hand and spoke to her with a calm and steady tone.

"Think about it Kurumu-chan, if it was as easy as taking off that…mask, don't you think that Tsukune-kun would've done it already? No, I think that if we were to try and remove that thing it would do more harm than good."

"Then what can we do? Nothing!? I won't accept that Yukari-chan, not for one second!"

"Kurumu-chan I think that's the only thing we can do about it!...But there is something that we can do for Tsukune-kun."

Yukari took in a small but deep breath and looked her right in the succubus's lavender eyes.

"We need to treat him just the same as before, before the fight with Kuyou, before we knew about the mask, before everything. We need to treat him as a normal person, show him that in the long run we don't care about whatever that thing says or does because we will always be his friends… right?"

Kurumu did not speak but nodded rather weakly at what Yukari told her to do. The witch was making sense and if nothing else Kurumu still believed that she loved Tsukune, but no matter how she looked at it no longer did she see the happily ever after that she fantasized and dreamed about almost every night. She did not know what to do or how to react to all of these horrible revelations but she still wanted nothing more than to be with Tsukune…even after everything that had happened.

* * *

(Three Days Later- Bus Stop)

The sounds of the succubus's feet on the dirt path were unnaturally silent as she traversed the path with Yukari by her side, they both carried their backpacks slung over their shoulders and clothes bags gripped tightly between their fingers; Kurumu's a bright daisy yellow and Yukari's a deep red. The trees, though dead, gave off a warmth equivalent to that of live trees and the bare naked branches swayed lively along the warm breeze that whistled gently through their woody fingers.

The scents of summer were ever present and the usual soothing effects that they had helped to ease the inner turmoil that plagued the both of them. Kurumu and Yukari were both contemplating the notion that for a week the entire Newspaper club (with the exception of Gin) going to the human world. It wasn't the idea of going to the human world that frightened them, though that idea was terrifying, it was the knowing what they knew about Tsukune conflicting with their equally strong feelings about him. Every step that they took reminded them of what they were walking towards and that this would be the greatest test of their resolve and love for the boy.

Soon the object of both their affections and anxiety came into sight; sitting on a thick low-swooping branch, wearing an unbuttoned teal shirt with a regular cotton-white t-shirt underneath, tan slacks and a black backpack slung over his shoulder. He was happily conversing with Moka who sat next to him, wearing what appeared to be a purple dress with a tiny red cardigan sweater resting on her shoulders. The two of the seemed happy, talking about this and that while watching the scarecrow swaying in the summer breeze. It was almost an ideal scene. Neither the witch nor the succubus realized that they stopped moving, the both of them just staring at Tsukune, observing his behavior.

He looked happy enough; Tsukune smiled innocently and laughed gently when either of them joked with the other but upon closer inspection the both of them could see the subtle signs of Tsukune's condition. There were the beginnings of what would eventually become dark rings around his already puffy eyes, his fingers lightly scratched his left elbow, and finally he would sporadically tick his head in a soft manner.

They examined the scene with fear and a slight pitying feeling sitting in the pit of their stomachs. Stepping forward each step they took the dirt road muffled their steps. Tsukune and Moka quickly spotted Kurumu and Yukari coming and almost instinctually the two of them flashed nearly identical smiles and Moka waved them closer. Kurumu stood next to the scarecrow and observed Yukari interacting with the young vampiress and human, acting like nothing was wrong…and yet Kurumu could not bring herself to talk to Tsukune, as much as she wanted to.

Tsukune looked over and made eye contact with her, smiling happily. It looked like he wanted to say something when three quick blasts from a bus horn grabbed their attentions. Turning around Kurumu could see the bright head lights of the academy school bus shining through the darkness of the inter-dimensional tunnel. Before she knew it the bus stopped right in front of where she was standing and the doors opened to release a cloud of fragrant cigar smoke. Through that haze of smoke the bus-driver sat at the wheel of his bus, still as a statue and his own pair of illuminating eyes burning through the smoke.

For a brief moment Kurumu felt a chill run through her spine as she was reminded of the eyes of the creature that occupied her love's mind, but that fear passed when she found that his eyes held absolutely no malice or evil.

Popping her head from behind a row of seats Nekonome-sensei gazed out at her students and flashed each of them an excited grin and waved for them to come closer.

"Is everybody ready?! Is everyone excited?! C'mon and let's get GOIIINNNNGGG!"

At the sound of her suggestion all four of the present Newspaper club members began to board the school bus; first was Kurumu who sat near the back and leaning against a window, then came Yukari who sat in the third row on the left, Moka who sat across from Kurumu and finally Tsukune.

The boy stood in the middle of the seats and took a private moment for himself. He took in the sight of the bus and absorbed the fact that today it was going to take all of them to the human world, his world. A puff of smoke shook him out of his private moment and he twisted his head to the right to find the bus driver staring at him, cigar aglow and eyes glaring at him under the brim of his hat.

"**Seems that you've made an interesting friend since the last time we met."**

Tsukune turned from the bus driver and let his gaze fall on the girls who sat ahead of him. Each of them sat silently but it was quite clear as to how anxious and excited each one of them were; the idea of heading into the world that they heard about all of their lives was exciting and clearly the were highly anticipating seeing it with their very own eyes. Tsukune smiled and responded in a soft tone.

"Yeah they're all pretty amazing…"

Suddenly from out of the blue he felt iron-like fingers wrap themselves around his forearm and lock tight with a vice-like grip. He almost yelped in pain but stopped himself when his eyes locked with those of the bus driver's again. The man almost had a complete look of neutrality about him and spoke with an eerily similar tone of voice.

"**I'm sure they are but I was not talking about those girls…"**

The two of them were eerily silent, the bus driver holding on to his arm and staring up from his seat with that blank, expressionless face and Tsukune with eyes wide at what that message insinuated.

"Please Tsukune-san we won't be able to leave until you pick a seat."

Nekonome-sensei's plea was enough for both boy and bus driver. The man slowly relinquished the tight grip that he had on the boy's arm and returned his attention to the steering wheel. Tsukune's hand flew to his arm to try and nurse the upcoming bruise and slinked to the nearest open seat. With his back against the cool glass and his hand rubbing, he could feel his pulse quicken. He contemplated on the words that the mysterious man had said and no matter how hard he denied it was painfully clear that he meant one thing and one thing only.

'_He knows!'_

The engine roared to life and the entire bus shook with it as the bus driver turned the vehicle around to face the tunnel once more. They idled for just a second then lurched forward with enough force to send everyone out of their seats. The power and speed of the bus was impressive and before anybody knew they were sucked into the darkness of the tunnel.

Tsukune turned around to look outside his window and watched as small streaks of light whizzed by, mingled with the pitch black of the tunnel. Sensing that the others were doing the same Tsukune felt his body relax a bit and tried his best to sit comfortably in the bus seat. Drawing a long sigh he looked up and nearly choked with fright when he saw the bus driver's eyes staring at him. He would have yelped if it weren't for the fact that his mind quickly rationalized that he was not in fact staring directly at him but rather gazing at the reflective mirror that hung above his head.

He did not enjoy the fact that the bus driver knew about the mask and now he was staring at him with those glowing eyes, eyes harshly similar to the ones that belonged to the figure in his dream. A thought occurred to him as he gazed back at the bus driver. He had seen when he transformed and was well aware that the mask's eyes burned with a glow not too dissimilar and he could not help but wonder if they were glowing now. Were his eyes glowing in the dark like the bus driver's? Was he staring at the mask in the dark and not him?

The light from the bus driver's eyes were soon eclipsed by the light at the end of the tunnel. Their destination was just ahead and for that moment Tsukune's mind was filled with nothing more than the thought of him returning home.

The light of the sun filled and engulfed the school bus, blinding its passengers momentarily while warming their skins. Eyes adjusting to the light of the sun he was met with the all too familiar sights of blue clear ocean, miles of stretching roads, living plants and trees, and a skyline of the city far off in the distance. He was home.

The bus hugged the side of the road while steel railings prevented them from going over the edge. Everyone; with the exemption of Tsukune, Nekonome-sensei, and the bus driver, rushed from window to window to drink in the scenery that they were seeing for the first time and enjoying what Tsukune had known his entire life.

Tsukune watched as the sun glinted off the crystal blue waters, cars zipping by the bus, the city skyline coming closer into sight. A comfortable sense of familiarity washed over him and felt his body ease into relaxation, knowing that he was in comfortable surroundings. He reached up to open the window and let all too familiar scents of the human world make him feel safe.

'_It feels so good to be home again.'_

The serenity of the scene was interrupted by the creature in his head. It was happy but not in the usual ways. The creature did not laugh or cackle, make snide comments, or subtle evil insinuations. Instead the thing sounded genuinely happy about seeing the same ocean and skyline as the rest of the Newspaper club members.

'_**Amen…'**_

That single sentiment sent a shiver up his spine and he tore his gaze away from the scenery that held such calming beauty for him moments before and was again met with the sight of the bus driver staring at him from his driving mirror.

* * *

(30 minutes later- Bottom of the cliff)

The bus was parked on the side of the road; one side the sheer rock wall of the cliff that loomed over all, the other side was nothing but sand and crystal blue ocean water gently lapping at the shores.

Everyone but the bus driver stood on the beach listening to the rhythmic calm of the ocean. Some of them were ecstatic for seeing the endless blue waters for the first time and others letting the sight that they were used to fill them with awe. The sight of the sun gleaming against the water, the sounds of lapping waters and gulls squawking in the skies above, the warm feeling of the sand on the soles of everyone's feet.

Kurumu and Yukari were struck silent with equal expressions of wonder at the spectacle of a human world's ocean. Tsukune on the other hand did not feel that same sense of wonderment that the succubus or the tiny witch were experiencing, but he did feel that warm sense of familiarity and could not help but stretch his entire body while the sun's touch warmed his skin. He was at peace.

Looking around he could see that he was not the only one enjoying the calm that the sun and the surf had to offer. Standing just a few feet from his right, Moka stood still with her eyes closed, allowing the sun's warmth to overtake her.

The serenity of the ocean was absolute perfection and it was exactly what Tsukune needed. Nekonome-sensei came up from the bus wearing a large sunhat, a one-piece bathing suit and her lower body wrapped in a light blue wrap. Grasping a fishing pole in her hand the teacher took in a deep breath and savored the fresh ocean air.

"All righty then...I'm going fishing so the rest of you have fun."

With that said their teacher left them alone on the beach and headed towards what appeared to be some sort of natural pier made entirely out of rock off in the distance. Once left to their own devices, Tsukune and the others were getting ready to enjoy themselves. Both Kurum and Yukari started to shed their clothing to reveal the bathing suits they wore underneath and Moka pulled out a large beach blanket out from her bag and laid it on the sand.

The boy watched as the young vampiress's fingers wrapped themselves around the hem of her dress and felt his heart racing as she began to lift it over her knees and even higher. He could feel his blood rushing as she continued to lift her dress over her head to reveal her lithe body and, what Tsukune expected was, her only bathing suit. She was a two piece navy blue bathing suit and the colors only seem to deepen against her ivory skin. He watched as she lay on the blanket and let the sun's rays warm her body.

Stunned by the beauty that was his best friend laying on the sand barely clothed that everything else in the world to him was blocked out…including the beast in his head and all of it's snide comments.

'_**If she's a vampire how come she doesn't burst into flames when in sunlight?'**_

'_She's so beautiful. It's almost like she sparkles in the sunlight…'_

'_**Calm down Bella.'**_

Tsukune cocked his head to the side in confusion.

'_Who is she?'_

'_**Suddenly I have more respect for you.'**_

Despite that acknowledgment of respect Tsukune decided to ignore the creature wholly and instead focus on the sun, the sand, and his friends.

* * *

(Several hours later)

None of them knew for how long they were at that remote piece of paradise that was cut off by the ocean and a hundred foot rock cliff on the other side, the only way in or out a dirt road. However long it was they played there it did not matter because, for Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, and Tsukune…time had frozen still for all four of them.

Yukari was busy playing on the shore, the feeling of the sea foam tickling her legs and the cold sensations of the tide splashing on her feet, as she picked up shell after shell and examined them. One could immediately tell that for the first time in her life she was an eleven year old girl and not a child prodigy. Moka laid in the sun with her eyes closed gently, whether in sleep or in deep contemplation it did not matter. Kurumu swam the ocean like she had no cares in the world. Dipping under the waves before they hit and swimming below the surface, watching all of the undersea life swim away. Finally all that was left was Tsukune himself; floating on the surface.

It was strange, almost symbolic, floating on the surface of the water. It felt like a perfect analogy for what his life had become. The surface was warm and tranquil, minor ripples' emanating from the disturbances his body made, but underneath was fathomless and unbearably cold with unknown things slithering blindly through the bitter darkness. No matter how hard he tried he could feel his body dipping lower and lower into the water and if he did not pull himself up…he would sink into that crushing abyss.

Without warning the sensation of something strong and heavy attaching itself to him took him off guard and dragged him below the surface just as he had feared. The cold embraced him and the sun had become a rippling blob of light under the water. He fought against whatever it was that was holding on to him but whatever it was it held tighter and tighter around him. Sinking lower and lower the sun was shrinking and all he could see were the colorful little fishes swimming carefree.

His lungs filled with air, he did not know how, but his head broke through the surface and once more the sun warmed him. Breathing heavily through his nose the thing was still attached to his back. Twisting around, he came face to face with Kurumu, wet hair clinging to the sides of her face and her eyes slightly red and irritated, smiling happily.

"Tsukune-kun did you see them?! The fish are so beautiful I've never seen animals so colorful!"

He shook with fright and as much as he hated it, his bladder let loose when Kurumu dragged him under but from the way she acted the succubus did not seem to notice. That happy enthusiastic smile of hers did not change even as she dived under again and swam away. Shaking from the experience Tsukune bobbed in the water like a cork for a moment and then quickly decided that it was time for him to return to shore.

It took less than five minutes for him to hit the shore. Walking through the foam on a set of wobbly legs he did not stop until he was next to Moka and hastily fell to his knees. With the hot sand on his back and the sun hanging overhead in the cloudless sky his mind began to wander aimlessly. For a second his eyes landed on the rocky cliff behind them. He scaled it slowly, taking in every crag and stony niche, stopping at the peak and staring directly at it.

'_I wonder what's up there.'_

Lifting himself off the ground he sat crossed-legged on the sand and continued to stare up at the cliff that loomed over them. The thought of what was on top of that cliff was relentless and the sudden urge to explore overtook him. Examining the cliff some more he spied an opening for a dirt road tucked away not to far away from where they were. Overcome with a sudden urge, he found it strange that for once the need to explore was not one brought on by whatever evil that laid in the subconscious of his mind but a need from his own design…it was rather refreshing.

He got up from the warm sand and tried to brush off as much as he could before heading towards the road. Moka was the first to take notice followed by Yukari. The two of them watched curiously as Tsukune walked towards the cliff and decided that they wanted to see where it was he was going. It took awhile, but eventually Kurumu, who was far out to sea, saw that everyone was leaving and frantically made her way to shore, screaming for their attentions the entire time.

* * *

(Dirt Path)

Their feet crunched softly on the loose dirt and gravel that covered the path. All four of them walked quietly and silently observed the environment; on one side there was the cliff itself, the crags and rocks jagging outward, sparse weeds growing from the nooks, and on the other side there was nothing but open space. An ocean of trees was all that they saw and beyond that they could see the outline of the city, the glass windows from the buildings glistened in the distance.

The dirt road hugged the side of the cliff as it slowly curved upward along the crag. The road just wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side by side, the group walked in lines of two, with Kurumu and Yukari just behind Tsukune and Moka.

The boy walked silently while the others spoke amongst themselves about how beautiful the scenery was and discussing about all of the sea creatures Kurumu saw during her little underwater excursion. Having grown-up in this world Tsukune was used to the scenery, what he was more interested in was what rested at the top of this cliff. The road soon widened and they reached what appeared to be a back road of some kind.

He followed the road, doing his best to step over anything that would harm his bare feet. The ocean on their left and trees on their right, the scene was almost tranquil but there was something out of place. Tsukune could almost swear that he could faintly hear the sounds of people and what he could only guess were working machines behind the curtain of trees. Further down the road there appeared to be two men standing by a wooden blockade.

"Tsukune-kun what's going on?"

Kurumu glanced over at him with a slightly worried look in her eyes. He looked back and saw a similar expression in Yukari's eyes as well and wondered why were they so scared of two men who were so far away from them? With the exception of Tsukune, were these going to be the first humans they encountered? The way they were acting Tsukune had to wonder what stories they were told about humans to make them so frightened.

They came closer and saw that the two men where both wearing the same orange vest with reflective tape strips on each side along with matching hard hats. One of them was an older man, slightly jowly with a fine covering of grey whiskers and the other was a younger man with green eyes and smoking a cigarette. Once the group was close enough both men took notice of them, the younger man rubbed out his cigarette on the end of wooden blockade and the older one cleared his throat.

"Woah uhhh…hold on there kids. None of ya' arra' allowed pass here. Construction pass this point an'it ain't safe."

The older man finished and the younger man proceeded to 'shoo' them away. It was infuriating being herded away like naughty toddlers. The girls backed away, but Tsukune did not run like the others. For the first time he felt angry, he wanted to know what was up here and he was being shooed away like he did not matter.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Tsukune suddenly turned boldy, twisted around and rushed the two men. At first they did not know how to react which he took to his advantage. He made it pass the two of them and reached the wooden blockade. He jumped over the blockade, the men's' fingers brushing against his ankle, and landed on the other side running. Lost in the moment he ran as fast as he could. He was not even aware if the others were following him until he could hear the men calling for him and the others.

For the first time in his life Tsukune broke the rules on his own accord and he found out something quite disturbing about it: he loved it.

* * *

(Sunflower Hill-40 minutes later)

It was truly a sight to see. There all four of them stood, resting after being chased for a quarter mile, on top of a hill and below them was a vast ocean of sunflowers. Tall as a man each one of them were and swaying silently in the wind, the air filled with their fragrance, and on the horizon there was nothing but blue sky contrast against the bright yellow.

The girls themselves were held speechless by the beauty of a sight that they never had the privilege of seeing before and Tsukune stood silently in the breeze, still reveling in the rush of defying authority and the reward that he got from it.

"Tsukune isn't it beautiful?"

He turned back to see Moka's jade eyes glittering in the sunlight. She gazed at the never ending field of flowers in wonderment. Tsukune could not help but feel a sense of joy watching her and turned to the fields and let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah it is beautiful."

'_**You should know better by now.'**_

The creature's cold voice sent a chill up his spine.

'_**Do you not see it?'**_

The others watched the flowers sway in the breeze, to busy to notice the subtle shifts in Tsukune.

'_**Do you not feel it?'**_

'_F-Feel what?'_

'_**It's all around us, just look.'**_

Tsukune rechecked his surroundings, this time with a fresher perspective, and with a sharp intake a breath he saw the truth was revealed to him.

'_What is that?!'_

Among the field of flowers he saw it; outlined against the flowers that brought him so much peace he saw faded silhouettes of red, the same that had once burned around the entire school populace as they awaited him to be set ablaze at the cross. He did not understand what this meant while watching the flowers swaying in the wind, glowing hellishly, but the thing did not share his confusion. It spoke in an otherworldly tone that conveyed both sagely wisdom and a sadistic delight.

'_**Something happened here, some horrible and unspeakable atrocity. I'm not sure when but it must've been long, long ago.'**_

He stood silently, engrossed in its words, unable to enjoy the sight like the others.

'_**There are spirits here, human and otherwise, that do not rest underneath this field of Sunflowers. Punished for whatever sins they have committed while treading this soil…angry that history ignores their deeds and time chose to forget them.'**_

Chilled by the creature's words he was regretting following that whim to see what was on the cliff. He wanted to leave this place and get as far away from it as he could without alarming the rest. With a surprising amount of tact he causally slipped in a comment, hiding the anxiety as best as he could, about wanting to get something to eat. That appeared to be enough to break whatever spell the field of sunflowers had cast on them and Yukari was the first to speak.

"Me too but we left all of our food down by that beach and we would have to go back the way we came…"

Moka quickly found a solution to that problem by pointing at an off-shoot path that lead in the opposite direction, her reasoning being that it must eventually lead to a village of some sort. With food in mind and a path to take they left the sunflowers, something that Tsukune was all too happy to do.

"Wait! Did you hear something?"

Yukari spun around and stared off into the sunflower field. The others stopped as well and examined their surroundings, straining their ears for any unusual sounds. Kurumu turned to her and spoke in a soft tone.

"I don't think we heard anything…what was it that you heard?"

"I…I thought I heard someone screaming, maybe it was just the wind."

* * *

(Witches Ranch-time unknown)

There was dankness in the air and the tiny room was filled with the stench of mold and rotted wood. Poorly lit there was still enough light to make out the back of an old armchair. The creaks and groans of the house settling were ever present and common only to be disturbed by the sound of footsteps.

"O-Yukata-sama I believe I have good news at last."

The voice of a young woman filled the room; her figure could not be clearly seen in the low light. She knelt down before the chair and awaited a reply. A wheeze came from the chair, the sounds of heavy breathing and creaking joints overpowered the usual noises.

"What was that Ruby-san? I heard screams before."

"It was nothing O-Yukata-sama, just a couple of humans that had wandered into the flowers. They were dealt with."

She knelt in the darkness in silence awaiting her master to speak. Dark ebony tresses flowed over her face, obscuring her sight. A hacking wheeze came from behind the chair and for close to a minute that was the only sound that filled the room until it slowly faded away.

"Wha…What was the good news that you mentioned earlier?"

"O-Yukata-sama I believe that I may have discovered another witch to join our cause! She was traveling with a group and they stopped just outside the edge of the flower field."

The excitement in her voice was palpable and eagerly she awaited her master's answer. The master was silent, as if contemplating on the news Ruby had delivered. With a heavy sigh the master spoke in a solemn and sober tone.

"Test the young witch; see if you can persuade her. Hopefully it won't take much."

Ruby looked up from her kneeling spot enough light hit her face to reveal a single brownish-red eye.

"How should I…test her?"

"By any means you see fit."

* * *

(Authors Notes)

Here is chapter 12. If you like it or have a piece of constructive criticism please do not hesitate to review. I learn from the reviews. Edited by Scott Pike. ^(;;;)^

"In Tobi We Trust"


End file.
